


Reluctant Soulmate, Meet Adorable Soulmate

by Varmint



Series: Snow Leopard and Excitable Puppy- Soulmates no Matter What [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Actually He Just Needs a Soulmate, Adorable Kiba, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bits of angst, Cheek Pinching, First Meetings, Gossip, Humor, Itachi is Clan Head, Kiba Being Adorable, M/M, No Uchiha Massacre, Orochimaru Needs a Hug, Platonic Soulmates, Reincarnation, Reluctant Tobirama, Romance, Romantic Soulmates, Sasuke Isn't Power Hungry, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-09-26 06:23:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 53,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9871343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Varmint/pseuds/Varmint
Summary: Kiba had never thought he'd ever have a soulmate. He'd guessed he'd just live a slightly abnormal normal life with Akamaru at his side. Then he'd gone to give the Hokage those clan documents during the chunin exams. And he'd found his soulmate. Rare pair! Tobirama/Kiba. Soulmate AU!





	1. When They First Met

When they first met, the Third Hokage was locked in a heated battle against the First Hokage's reanimated body while a creepy snake guy cackled about his surefire victory over Konoha.

Kiba had been there because of pure coincidence. He shouldn't have been. By all accounts, he was supposed to have been part of the crowd currently caught under genjutsu while Soun, Sand, and Leaf Ninja fought over them. But his mother had asked him to hand over some clan documents the Hokage needed for some reason or another, so he had gone over. And in a pure stroke of luck, he'd wound up inside of the barricade created by the old man's old student's new students, caught a witness of some rather terrifying and intense fighting.

At first, when the bodies had been caught inside their coffins, Kiba had stood frozen in shock beside the Hokage with Akamaru trembling inside of his hood. Then when life had been breathed into them once more, something extremely _odd_ happened. Because, really, even with the reality that soulmates were, Kiba had never met his before nor had any indication as to ever going to have one. Like, _ever_.

But then those blood red orbs fell on him. And for a second, the whole world vanished. A moment of calm forced its way into Kiba's life and for that moment, all he could see was the man with the white hair and three red stripes on his face.

Then that moment was broken when his right side began to hurt like _holy hell_ , causing him to shout out and the Third to try and help him out. But then the weird snake guy directed both recently brought to life Hokage on the Third and all hell had broken loose.

~/~

When they first met, all Kiba could truly think about was the fact that... Well... His soulmate was _old._ And was supposed to be dead. But because of that one forbidden jutsu the village traitor, Orochimaru, had used, he was now living and breathing and glaring down at everyone that dared get too close.

"This is shameful, Sarutobi. _Your old student_."

His soulmate was the second Hokage. And he was alive once more. And berating the Third Hokage as if he wasn't one of the strongest ninja to ever live.

As the white haired man continued to scold his old student, Kiba and Akamaru stood off to the side quietly. After witnessing the show of power put on by the older shinobi, both members of the Inuzuka Clan had been humbled. And they'd also ended up slightly terrified.

Running away from killer trees had _not_ been fun. Although it hadn't hurt that the Second Hokage had appeared out of nowhere to save Akamaru when he had fallen out of Kiba's coat.

"Now, onto more pressing matters,"

For some reason he could not have explained, Kiba had felt his chest swell at the words. But then he'd deflated in disappointment when the red eyed man turned around to glare in the direction Orochimaru had run off to in a fit of cowardice that only befitted a snake like him.

"We must give chase."

~/~

When they first met, Tobirama refused to believe the soulmate he had been waiting an _eternity_ for was a twelve year old brat with a puppy rested on top of his head.

He _had not_ lived his whole life longing for a soulmate and _died_ waiting for one just to find out he was stuck raising a kid into someone respectable. No. He had refused and ignored him. There must have been something wrong and the ache in his left side when their eyes had met had merely been a side effect of the reanimation jutsu.

For a whole of a good few minutes. Those had been good minutes, really. He had scolded Sarutobi and began to plot to serve his village once more and cure it of the illness that was a snake's bite.

But then the kid had decided to force himself into being acknowledged in a way that; later on in the future Tobirama would come to accept as a rather normal Inuzuka reaction; had left him stricken and frozen in place, completely caught off guard.

~/~

When they first met, Kiba sniffed Tobirama. And by sniffed, he meant he walked up to the man with his eyes narrowed in curiosity, lips pursed just slightly, and Akamaru hanging off the front of his hood. By sniffed, he meant he got right into the man's personal space, grabbed him by the collar of his armor, and yanked him down to get a better smell off of his neck.

The man smelled like blood, a cool, rainy day, and safety. Like all Inuzuka, he couldn't really explain _why_ he knew the man smelled like this. He just knew that he did and soulmates smelled safe, so there was no doubt about this really being his soulmate.

"Kiba... Are you feeling alright?"

He'd let go of the Second Hokage when he'd heard the Third speak up, then Kiba whirled around with his face pulled in with confusion. Then he'd shrugged, "I guess so. Almost died. Just found my soulmate. It's been an exciting day, if I can tell you the truth."


	2. The Second Time They Met

The second time they met, Tobirama was reluctant to even speak to the young Inuzuka. He had not enjoyed being manhandled and _smelled_ like some savage or animal... _Especially_ seeing how it had been a _twelve year old genin_ to have grabbed him like that.

He would have thought that after years of serving his village, the newer generations of shinobi would at least remember him for having been a fierce warrior; someone to not mess with. Apparently, from what Hiruzen told him, his prowess in the field _was_ taught in the Academy. The kid named Kiba Inuzuka, though, had missed many of those lessons because of skipping his classes.

When the boy bounded in, it was to find him and his old student creating plans to catch the traitorous snake that had almost succeeded in decimating the village. Tobirama looked up at the new arrivals in the Hokage's office- a place that was both familiar yet strange to him now- and took note of the clan- and undoubtedly familial- resemblance. The woman the boy followed after had wild brown hair, twin fang tattoos on her cheeks, and a wild and almost defiant glint in her eyes.

Beside her walked a large wolf appearing canine creature with an eyepatch and a heavy frown. How an animal could frown was beyond him. But the expression was clear in its face.

After their first meeting, the boy had not tried to contact him. Which, realistically speaking, wasn't saying much, seeing how only a few hours had passed since Orochimaru had ran off and they had begun to plot. Only a few hours since he had been pulled around like some doll by a mere child.

"Lord Third, I heard you were almost offed by a snake in the grass. Have I been called in to help you cut off its head?"

Her words were harsh yet direct, which spoke of determination and professionalism. With this, he could work. With the child bouncing from one heel to another as his eyes flicked around the whole room, he could not. Nor did he wish to.

"That you have. Kiba, you gave your mother the information?"

"Yup. Got anything else for me to do?"

Much like the woman, the boy spoke with a kind of crudeness that Tobirama frowned upon. But, really, what more could he expect from a clan that adopted animalistic tendencies?

With this thought, Tobirama noticed how Sarutobi's aged gaze turned onto him.

He did not like that look.

~/~

The second time they met, Kiba was ordered to, basically, play babysitter to the Second Hokage. And from the way Tobirama glared all the way from the Hokage compound all the way to the steak restaurant, the Inuzuka guessed that he was more than aware of what he had been demoted to by the younger (but wasn't he older now?) Hokage.

Quite frankly, he had not been expecting it. He had not thought the Hokage would ask him to spend time with his newly found soulmate. But he wasn't about to pass up a perfect opportunity to get to know him better when it was handed to him on a metaphorical silver plate.

"Want to go and get some steak?" He'd asked after they had left the Hokage's office, even though the white haired male beside him had been busy muttering about disrespectful students.

He liked steak. Hana had told him that soulmates usually had at least one food they liked in common. Maybe the Second Hokage would like some steak after having fought out of Orochimaru's hold (now that Kiba thought about it, _how_ had he managed that when the First Hokage had not?) and helped plot the traitor's capture.

"Child, I do not-"

As soon as he had begun to speak, Kiba had been forced to hold in his shout of exasperation. He knew this tone well. It was the same one Iruka Sensei used back in the Academy when he was about to scold him for skipping class.

So, just like he always did with Iruka Sensei, Kiba tuned Tobirama out. And as the man went on and on about whatever it was he was talking about, Kiba huffed out in exasperation and shoved his hands into his pockets.

All of his life, he'd believed he wouldn't have a soulmate. And he'd ended up coming to terms with that a while ago, pretty content to just have Akamaru with him for the rest of his life.

Now, though, with a soft burn in his side, Kiba knew for a fact that the man walking beside him was his soulmate.

And no matter how excited he had been at first, the Inuzuka was now almost unbelievably crushed.

Did his soulmate really have to be such a hard ass? If this was any indicator as to who his soulmate normally was, Kiba didn't want him.

Could he possibly send him back now that he was living again? Or would he have to stick with the boring guy until he kicked the bucket for the second time around?

~/~

He was being ignored. Tobirama knew it. He was sure of it. And he couldn't help but be extremely irritated because of this.

A twelve year old child with a puppy perched on top of his head actually had the gall to ignore him? Preposterous! Truly no respect to be found in him.

For a moment as they walked down the streets of a familiar yet different Konoha, Tobirama felt the urge to call the child out on his disrespectful act and scold him for daring to be such a brat in his presence. But then he stopped to think about how that would make him seem like he cared about him; even though he _didn't because there was no way this was his soul mate- forget the burn in his left side_ ; and decided to stop talking.

He followed the Inuzuka as he frowned heavily, eyes narrowed in irritation and anger.

It wasn't because he didn't like the idea of his soulmate ignoring him. The kid couldn't be his soulmate. It was because an immature little shit like him actually thought he could ignore him without any sort of repercussions.

Hiruzen Sarutobi would be getting an earful when he saw him again.

~/~

Steak was good. Steak was delicious. Steak would make putting up with the broody Second Hokage completely worth it.

Although, from the way the man's face reminded him a lot of his mother when she was forced to cook, Kiba could tell that his sentiments were not shared.

Slowing down from his quickened pace in the direction towards the steakhouse; which earned a whine of confusion from Akamaru; Kiba looked at Tobirama. And with a cock of his head to the side, the Inuzuka pursed his lips.

"Don't you like steak?"

The man's nose ruffled just slightly, "I prefer fish."

"Fish?"

The word tumbled out dumbly from Kiba's mouth as he stopped walking completely. And Tobirama quirked an eyebrow at him, although he said nothing.

Hana had said that one day his aversion to all things scaly would come to bite him in the ass. He had just never expected that he would ever be caught between eating steak and making someone happy... And _actually_ wondering if he should make the person happy by _not_ getting his steak!

If this had been anybody else, he wouldn't have had any second thoughts. Steak beat out fish no matter what!

But there was a tug at his heart telling him he should go ahead and lead Tobirama to a fish stand rather than his favorite steakhouse... And the burn in his side became even hotter as he thought about how this could, possibly, make Tobirama just a bit less grumpy.

For a reason beyond him, he wanted the boring man to at least crack a small smile. He had yet to see one. And his face wasn't ugly. So he guessed that he mustn't look _too_ bad if he smiled...

"Follow me."

~/~

"I had not been thinking about _not_ doing so."

Tobirama rolled his eyes even as the kid began to walk once more.

There had been a moment of indecision on the kid's end. That much had been clear from his face and body language. But why Tobirama's side had suddenly warmed was beyond him. Although now that the kid seemed to have decided on a course, the warmth had gone back to being subtle like before.

He followed the boy without saying anything else after that. And after a while of walking around with much contemplation as to how much his village had changed over the years and how _peaceful_ the villagers seemed, Tobirama found himself in front of a stand of food that sold fish.

He quirked an eyebrow at the stand, ignoring the odd looks sent his way because of how much he stood out in a crowd (he had been accustomed to this after _years_ of being the odd one out), and looked down at the Inuzuka boy. But before he could ask him what had happened to steak, the boy was asking him to decide for him.

He contemplated on just what the boy might be thinking he could get out of pleasing Tobirama. Undoubtedly, he was under the impression that they were soulmates. Which would be unfortunate, seeing how they _really weren't_. But whatever he might think he could get out of allowing Tobirama fish instead of forcing him to eat meat, he would not get. He was not a stupid man, after all.

So he ordered. And after the boy had paid for their meal and they had received the fish, he glanced down at the child.

The Inuzuka's face was scrunched up with indecision as he looked down at the grilled fish he had ordered. And the pup on his head was glaring down at the fish with a sneer on its maw.

"Are you not accustomed to fish?"

~/~

With a slow shake of his head, Kiba sniffed at the fish. "Not at all."

It didn't _smell_ bad. But it didn't smell appetizing either. It smelled like _fish_. And he'd never really been interested in eating the slimy little things.

"Then why would you have me order some if you will not eat it?"

His soulmate scoffed and reminded him a lot of Sasuke whenever he wanted to demean Naruto. But Kiba huffed and poked the fish on the stick with a nail, breaking off some of its skin.

"Because you like fish." He answered matter of factly, then looked up at Akamaru, "What do you think, boy?"

The dog barked and growled, a clear sign of not liking the fish. But when Kiba looked back at Tobirama, he saw the man taking a bite of the fish. And after he had begun to chew, he noticed how the man's features softened. It wasn't a smile. But it was the softest his face had looked since Orochimaru brought him back to life. And; like he had thought; it didn't look bad.

If his soulmate liked it enough to actually look less pissed off... Then maybe it wasn't so bad.

With a deep breath, Kiba steeled himself. And he took a bite of the grilled fish.

~/~

The second time they met, Tobirama was caught off by guard by the _pure honesty_ in Kiba's smile.

He had never seen anyone smile so broadly because of a simple _fish dish_ before. And for a moment, he had been pleasantly surprised.

He had enjoyed eating the fish. After spending who knows how many years dead, his taste buds danced wildly in merriment at one of his favorite foods. And he had allowed himself a few seconds of enjoying the food before looking down at Kiba and souring his mood once more. But, much to his surprise, he wasn't immediately annoyed when he looked down at the Inuzuka.

"This is delicious! Akamaru, you've got to try this!"

The boy's smile shined with unrestrained amazement and joy. And his eyes danced with a complete lack of trepidation.

It kind of reminded him of his brother...

This was the thought that reminded Tobirama that he wasn't supposed to like the child. So he schooled his features into ones of harsh scrutiny once more, even as his left side began to burn once more.

~/~

The second time they met, Kiba found out he actually enjoyed fish quite a lot.

"Please order me two more!" He asked Tobirama once he'd finished scarfing down the first fish, "And one for Akamaru so he can see what's so awesome about it!"

The man's face was hard as he glared down at him. But Kiba couldn't help but smile broadly up at him, hands clasped in front of him to beg. The fish was _delicious_. He had thought it would be weird and taste bad. It had been anything _but_. And now he wanted more.

"You can order it yourself. I am not some-"

"But you know what you ordered! I don't! Please, Tobirama! _Please_!"

He didn't usually beg. It wasn't very dignified nor did it help display the cool and awesome demeanor he always wanted to portray. But even with how aloof and detached the white haired male seemed, there was something about his scent that made Kiba feel safe. And if he was safe, then Kiba could be himself and beg for something he really wanted.

It took a little begging and puppy-dog-eye using, but eventually Tobirama bought him some more fish. And Kiba didn't mind paying for it, even though Tobirama seemed to have ordered something more pricey for himself the second time around, because he knew this would be delicious.


	3. The Third Time They Met

"Wait, your soulmate... He's an old man? And supposed to be dead?"

"Yup." Kiba smiled broadly up at his sister as he stirred the vegetables in the pan, "But don't worry, he's not that old." Then he pursed his lips in thought. "Ah, actually... How old was the Second Hokage when he died? I didn't pay much attention back at the Academy."

Hana glared at him for a moment before flicking him behind the ear, causing him to shout out at the sudden and sharp pain that sprouted from the side of his head. "He was in his thirties. Kiba, he's more than twice your age!"

"I can't control who my soulmate is, you jerk!" Kiba hissed back at her, moving away from arms' reach to make sure to not get hit again. "Besides, you shouldn't be getting so pissed off. You've said so yourself- soulmates ain't got to be romantically involved if they don't want to be."

She'd made sure of getting that through his thick skull. Even though most soulmates were romantically drawn to one another, there were exceptions. Some chose to remain best friends, even look at each other as family rather than lovers. These people usually took on lovers that weren't their soulmates and were seen as different, but weren't looked down upon. They were actually accepted over here in Konoha, although he wasn't sure about the rest of the hidden ninja villages.

"Are you sure it's the Second Hokage? Maybe you were looking at that traitor, Orochimaru, the whole time."

Kiba levelled his sister with an unamused glare, "You would rather my soulmate be a traitor than one of the greatest shinobi to ever live?"

She just shrugged with a soft hum, "When you put it like that..." Then she sighed and walked over to him to wrap an arm around his shoulder. "Well... I guess I'm just happy you've finally found your other half. Who knows, maybe he'll be the right kind of calm to finally get you to sit down and actually listen to people."

"Hey! I listen to people!" Kiba huffed out, but his sister leveled him with 'the look' that said everything he needed to know, and he sighed in defeat. "Okay, yeah, maybe I don't. But there's no way the Second Hokage could ever make me listen to- hey, you know how delicious fish is?"

"Did you just change the subject of our conversation?"

"Yup. I got bored of it. But fish is delicious. I took the guy over to a vendor over by the business district and he ordered some really delicious food. I like fish, apparently."

Hana rolled her eyes at his sudden change of topic, but didn't comment on it and instead asked, "So you willingly ate some fish? Kiba, I think you're already starting to fall for your supposed soulmate."

The comment made Kiba bristle. "I don't got to love no one!"

Sure, Tobirama was interesting looking and easy on the eyes. But he was also serious and pretty boring. Just because they were soulmates didn't mean they had to start kissing and doing couple stuff.

"That's what you say now, little brother... But you're going to want to keep him close at all times. And if he's already got you trying new things," Hana smiled knowingly, which made Kiba frown deeply at her and shake his head.

"I thought you could be friends with your soulmates. You ain't running around kissing and groping your Uchiha, now are you?"

Hana's smirk dropped into a disbelieving frown, "We're just friends."

"Just like the Second Hokage and I." Kiba smirked back, then looked over at the vegetables that were on the verge of burning. "Want me to get that or are you just going to kick me out of the kitchen?"

The foot pushed into the back of his legs was enough of an answer.

~/~

"There must be something wrong with his sense of smell, Hiruzen. He cannot possibly be my soulmate."

There was an amused and unbelievably _wise_ spark in the aged face of his old student as he served tea inside of two clay cups.

"You are saying that a member of the Inuzuka clan's sense of smell is off?" The male questioned, which made Tobirama frown at the mocking in his tone. "You _are_ aware of how that sounds, Sensei?"

Tobirama rolled his eyes at the insult, "Maybe his soulmate was the man whose body was taken for the reanimation jutsu. And he's now been led to believe that my body is his own."

A long-shot. But a believable one.

"You never had a soulmate's mark before, did you?" Hiruzen questioned off handedly, then took a sip from his tea. "I remember Lord Hashirama commenting on it once when I was _much_ younger."

Tobirama's eyes narrowed as he moved to grab his own cup of tea, "I never have. What does that matter, Sarutobi?"

A small smirk danced on the man's thin lips for a moment, "Young Kiba had never had a mark before. A true oddity for his clan. But now he does."

The information made Tobirama frown deeply. But he quickly asked, "And do you have proof of this supposed mark?"

"Not at all. I did not ask the boy to strip before me to make sure." Hiruzen placed his cup on the small table between them once more before looking at Tobirama with complete seriousness. "All evidence points to you two being soulmates. This does not mean you have to immediately warm up to the boy. But I would appreciate it if you didn't push him away either."

It was unbelievable to think that this elderly man had once been his young student. And Tobirama could not help but resent being talked to by someone that had once been much younger than him about such serious matters. Being _advised_ about them.

"I _do not_ push-"

"Please do not lie to yourself, Sensei. Now, for sleeping arrangements."

He'd bristled at the sudden change of topic. But he'd also allowed Hiruzen to get his way, deciding that speaking out his thoughts about the 'soulmate' confusion would be beneficial. He still, after all, needed to get his own thoughts in order. So he had just nodded along with what his old student offered, more than content to stay in the Hokage's compound now that he had no family left in the village.

~/~

After Tobirama had been brought back to life, Kiba felt _a little_ different. But not by much. Sure, he felt an odd tugging at his chest along with a burning in his right side whenever he wondered about what the Second Hokage was doing with his new life, but he didn't really do much about it. Although sometimes, even when he didn't think about the man, his side warmed as if he were.

He still had a life to live. And his soulmate had been pretty boring, even though he had a good taste in fish. Besides, from what he'd been told by his mother, the man was busy helping plot the capture of Orochimaru. So he was busy living his own life.

Just because they were soulmates, it didn't mean that Kiba needed to run after him to and be close to him every second of every day. Even though he sometimes caught whiffs of his scent and felt his chest tighten, he decided to just leave the man alone. He'd already showed him he was okay with getting to know each other. The ball was in Tobirama's court now.

"So... Kiba, what's this I hear about you finally finding your soulmate?"

"Buzz off, Uchiha. I don't know what my sister told your brother, but I don't want to talk about it. Now why don't you go off and burn some building down?"

Because their older siblings were soulmates, Kiba and Sasuke had just about grown up together. And now that the Uchiha clan had gotten the sticks taken out of their asses, Sasuke had been allowed to be the gossip hound he'd always wanted to be. Oh, the other boy hid it well with frowns and cool demeanors, but Kiba had known him his whole life. And if there was one truth to Sasuke, it was that he loved gossip as much as Ino.

The Uchiha narrowed his eyes at Kiba's words, but soon walked to stand in front of him and forced Kiba to stop walking. "Come on, Kiba. We're friends. And you've never had a soulmate mark on you before. Itachi says that means you were born without one. But, apparently, you found yours. That doesn't just _happen_."

Kiba rolled his eyes, then shrugged, "It's nothing big, really. I found this guy and he happens to be my soulmate. But he's older than me and really boring, so I guess nothing's going to happen."

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow at him- huh, much like Tobirama had. "Your other half is not something to take so lightly, Kiba. Especially when he appears out of nowhere."

Really, he _hadn't_ appeared out of nowhere. But Sasuke couldn't know that. He'd been sworn to secrecy by the Hokage, which meant he couldn't tell anyone about what he had witnessed during the confrontation with Orochimaru. He wasn't really sure why, seeing how he knew the Second Hokage was allowed to walk around the village, but he didn't question it either. The Third Hokage most probably wanted to keep the civilians from knowing that his old student had enough power to bring back to men from their graves and try to use them against their leader.

"It's not all that amazing, Sasuke. I have a soulmate now. I'm normal."

"But you're _not_." Sasuke frowned, but whatever he wanted to say was stopped by someone calling out to the both of them.

When they turned around, they found Naruto, Hinata, Shino, Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji all heading their way. Naruto was at the very front of the group, shouting out with a broad smile. And the rest followed suit quietly, much less intent on getting their attention.

"We're going to speak about this later, Inuzuka."

"Whatever you say, Uchiha."

He really couldn't understand what Sasuke thought was so interesting. But when the jerk got something into his mind, it was near impossible to force out, much like the rest of the stubborn Uchiha Kiba knew.

~/~

The third time they met, it was because Tobirama sought Kiba out.

A good two weeks had passed since they had gone to eat fish and Tobirama had not truly enjoyed the way he had felt during that time. His chest always felt tight for some reason. Along with his side burning at odd times when he wasn't even thinking about the boy. And when he wasn't really paying attention, he found himself unconsciously seeking Kiba's chakra signature out. Whenever he noticed he was doing it, he stopped. But he was confused as to just why he was so drawn towards the Inuzuka.

It could not have been because they were soulmates. Maybe (and this was his greatest theory at the moment) the man whose body Orochimaru had used for the jutsu had been Kiba's true soulmate. His senses most probably displaced the man's scent with his own as a coping mechanism for Kiba, who was none the wiser as to what had truly happened.

In all honesty, the only true detrimental fact to this theory was the mark that had decided to appear on his left side. But he liked to believe this was because he truly did have a soulmate in this time, he just had to find them.

Hiruzen insisted that he was being unreasonable and that this would all be solved if he looked at his mark. But Tobirama refused to look. He had made a promise to himself when but a child: if he ever found his soulmate, _they_ would be the first to look at his mark. Even _he_ wouldn't see it before them. And he refused to break that promise.

He had looked for Kiba not because he _wanted_ to spend time with the boy but because he had nothing else to do. Hiruzen, he, Tsume, and their top Nara strategist had come up with the perfect plan to capture Orochimaru. But before they could truly capture him, they would need to find him. So, until he had been found, Tobirama had nothing to do. And while he could walk around Konoha all by himself, he didn't really feel like braving all of the odd looks he would receive.

Besides, by spending more time with the Inuzuka, he would be able to show Hiruzen that his need to be around Tobirama would grow less and less. Which would mean that the boy's true soulmate's scent was leaving him and being replaced by what was his own, natural scent.

Finding the Inuzuka wasn't difficult. Among all of the chakra signatures in the village, his was the one that stood out the most. And Tobirama explained this by the boy having been the first signature he had found after being brought back to life; not because of some silly soulmate connection.

When Tobirama found the boy, he saw that he was surrounded by a group of genin (they must have all been for their chakras were still somewhat unhoned yet they wore the Konoha hitai-ite) and seemed rather uncomfortable.

This was odd. He hadn't thought the boy was capable of feeling uncomfortable. So, with slight curiosity as to just what could make the boy that _had sniffed him within seconds of meeting him_ uncomfortable, Tobirama walked up to the group.

~/~

The third time they met, Kiba was grateful Tobirama decided to appear out of nowhere.

"Inuzuka, I have need of your company."

When the deep tone rumbled behind them, his friends immediately turned to look at whoever had called on him. And when their eyes landed on the stone faced Second Hokage, most reacted like Kiba would have expected: shocked and surprised.

"That's the Second Hokage!"

"Shut up, Naruto!"

Kiba winced as Sakura punched Naruto harshly over the head, but looked up at the white haired man with a small smile.

If he was being honest, he had begun to feel somewhat sick under his friends scrutiny. His chest had begun to tight uncomfortably and he'd begun to sweat just a little. But now that Tobirama's scent entered his nose, his chest had untightened and he felt as if he had allowed a huge breather.

There was no doubt about it, Tobirama really was his soulmate. No matter how boring he may be.

"What do you need, sir?"

Even though he wanted to call him by his real name, there was something that wouldn't feel right about using it around his friends. Especially because the man seemed so serious at the moment.

"An escort." The man answered levelly, eyes never leaving Kiba's even as his friends reacted in their own unique ways to their surprise. "Now come along."

"Uh..." He had _not_ been expecting that. But he also didn't mind getting away from his friends curious questions. "Sure thing. See you guys later."

"Wait, you're not getting away so quickly! Tell us who you're soulmate is!" Ino intercepted him before he could walk away.

Kiba rolled his eyes and Akamaru barked in annoyance at her. "I just got a direct order from the Second Hokage and you're trying to stop me from completing it."

"Blondie's got a point." Naruto shouted, moving so he was also blocking his path. "I want to know too!"

~/~

So this was the reason why Kiba was so flustered. Because the children his age were harassing him about his supposed soulmate. A shame, really. Children hounding on one of their own for something so private.

" _Now_."

He didn't need Kiba to be his escort. He could walk around the village by himself without any trouble. But he was becoming somewhat hungry and had yet to venture out into the village for food aside from the one visit to the fish stand and Kiba undoubtedly knew many good spots.

Besides, exposure to him would help prove that they were _not_ soulmates. This plan was foolproof.

"Guys, I have to go. You heard the man." Kiba stepped around the two overly loud blondes and walked to Tobirama's side before looking up at him with a grateful smile. "Where do you want me to take you?"


	4. The Reason why Kiba Waged War

After Tobirama saved him from his overly curious friends, Kiba had a newfound respect for the man.

Okay, yeah, he was boring. But he seemed to have pretty good timing and always appeared to force him away from his friends whenever they tried to get him to talk about his newfound soulmate. And he was good enough company, allowing Kiba to chase after the annoying cats that tried to steal their fish after Tobirama ordered and Kiba bought. Although he always rolled his eyes at his and Akamaru's interest in racing after _cats._

"Chasing after cats does not seem like a rather productive endeavor. Nor do I see how it can help you improve your skills as a shinobi."

Kiba panted softly as he bounded back towards the man, Akamaru following beside him with a large smile on his face. The pup barked in answer, although Kiba rolled his eyes at his cheeky words. 'It's good exercise and builds up a good appetite... Although Kiba doesn't let me eat them.'

Luckily, Tobirama did not understand Akamaru. So he didn't have to hear how much Akamaru hated cats. "It builds speed and agility, dude. And makes me think about strategy and the best ways to _not_ crash through stuff while I chase after the little bastards."

The way Tobirama looked at him let Kiba know he didn't really agree. And it was so amusing to see the man actually emoting how unimpressed he was that Kiba couldn't help smile broadly up at him.

"Let's just go back to the training grounds. Do you not have a training exercise to complete with your team?"

With this blunt way of calling Kiba out on slacking off on his genin duties, Tobirama turned to begin walking in the direction of the training grounds. And Kiba followed after a little while, Akamaru bounding at his feet with his tongue lolling out in happiness.

It had been a good day for hunting the evil cats of Konoha. And they deserved it, especially after 48 had tried to eat Tobirama's fish. The little mongrel was much too courageous and was not afraid of squaring off against him and Akamaru. But they drew the line at a dirty feline trying to take his soulmate's food!

As he followed after Tobirama, Kiba looked over at his white hair and couldn't help but marvel at it. It was such an odd color to find in Konoha; truly unique. It made the man stand out like a sore thumb in the middle of a crowd, but that wasn't all that bad. It made finding him that much easier. And now that they were spending so much time together, Kiba kind of wanted to spend _even more time_ together.

Really, it was weird. But whenever Tobirama wasn't around, Kiba's chest felt like it was much too tight and there was something missing. Like he was missing his heart or spleen or something. And the feeling vanished when the man was around, which meant that it was most probably some side effect from being too far from his soulmate.

When they reached the training grounds, Kiba found his team sitting around talking with their teacher. And when they noticed their appearance, all three shinobi turned to look at them. After having Tobirama come around every once in a while, they were accustomed to seeing him and so weren't surprised to see him. Instead, they were annoyed that Kiba arrived let yet again.

~/~

"Kiba, punctuality, while not a skill taught in the Academy, is something all shinobi should possess."

Kurenai Yuuhi was a decent enough kunoichi. She was steadfast and seemed to bee clear on her beliefs. The fact that she was respectful and able to put up with most of the Inuzuka boy's stupidity certainly helped in making Tobirama see her as a woman deserving of his respect.

"But we had to chase after number forty eight, Kurenai Sensei!" Kiba whined immediately, just like Tobirama would have thought he would, "The little bastard tried to steal the Second Hokage's food!"

At the curious glance sent his way, Tobirama frowned. "I am more than capable of taking care of a _cat_ , Inuzuka. You are aware of this."

The boy was anything but regretful about what he had done. He had arrived late to training and seemed to be proud of it.

"Yeah, but chasing after cats is in my blood. You can strike that down as yet another favor, dude." After saying this, Kiba turned to his teacher and shrugged, "Standing around telling me what I did wrong won't get much done. Why don't we get on with training or whatever?"

If Kiba had been his student, Tobirama would punished him justly. Maybe with twenty laps around the whole village. _On his hands_. But Kurenai was a more permissive woman and merely rolled her eyes at her student before beckoning him over.

"I didn't give your _punctual_ teammates an overview about what we're doing today because I would have to explain _again_ once you arrived." Even though he could only see the boy's back, Tobirama almost _felt_ him roll his eyes at the accusation. "So I will just tell you all now what we are going to do."

Kurenai sat Kiba between the Aburame boy and the Hyuga girl as she began to explain what a nature affinity in chakra was and how someone could use it to be able to use crafty and powerful jutsu.

Like Tobirama had come to expect from the boy's teammates, both nodded along and sat still, patiently and eagerly listening to the lesson they were being given. Unlike the hyperactive Inuzuka, these two would be children Tobirama would not have minded being a teacher to. They listened and tried their best to get better with the proper amount of patience. Kiba, though... Would have been thrown back into the Academy the _very second_ they met if he had been Tobirama's student.

Moving to sit on the tree stump he had claimed as his own the first time he had accompanied Kiba to his team's training session, Tobirama crossed his legs and settled into a meditative pose.

While Kiba learned- well, the more accurate description would be drove his teacher insane-, Tobirama would meditate.

~/~

"So I have brought these papers with me to test and see what your chakra affinities are." Kurenai Sensei pulled out three strips of paper once she'd finished her big speech, then handed one to each of her students.

Kiba looked down at the paper with a confused eyebrow quirked, all the while Akamaru walked up to sniff curiously at it. And once his best friend had finished up with it, Kiba raised it up to his own nose to smell it. Although he was stopped by a sharp glare from Kurenai, one that told him to stop before she punished him. So he lowered his hand once more to glare at the paper in it.

"Just push a little bit of your chakra inside. As if we were doing the leaf exercise from a couple of weeks ago." The woman encouraged, then smiled softly when Shino's paper immediately caught fire and became ash. "Good job, Shino!"

Kiba resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the Aburame's speedy success, then turned to look over at Hinata. He was curious to see what her affinity was. He guessed it was something like wind or water, two things that were calm but could still be deadly, just like her.

Hinata narrowed her eyes at her paper and closed her eyes to concentrate. And after a few seconds, the paper in her hands began to wrinkle up.

Kiba quirked an eyebrow at this, then looked over at his teacher, "What's that? Wind?"

The woman shook her head, though. "No, Kiba. When someone's affinity is wind, the paper splits into two. When it wrinkles up like this, though, it means that they are naturally inclined towards lightning release."

"Oh." Kiba nodded softly at the explanation, then glanced down at the paper in his hands.

He had never thought about nature transformations or anything too fancy when it came to his jutsu. His clan skills were superb and all that he really needed in life. Although it seemed that the adults in his life didn't agree. Kurenai wanted them to begin training in greater jutsu and Tobirama had called him stupid for not even knowing what his affinity was.

Would it be water, like Tobirama's? And wouldn't that be, like, extremely cool?!

Although maybe it wouldn't be because then Tobirama would have a reason to force him into extra training he didn't want... The crazy jerk seemed intent on making him into a 'proper shinobi' even though he was a horrible teacher. He wasn't sure about anyone else, but Kiba wasn't the kind that responded well to being called stupid and then forced to do things he didn't want to do.

"W-what's yours, Kiba-kun?"

"I dunno yet, Hinata." Kiba shrugged, then pushed a small amount of chakra into the paper.

He'd been expecting something _normal_ to happen. But what took place after he pumped that small bit of chakra into the paper was anything but.

~/~

Even though when he meditated, Tobirama usually managed to clear his mind, he had been finding it rather difficult to do so whenever he was with Kiba and his team in the training grounds. Instead of clearing his mind until it was completely blank, all he was able to do was get to a point of near blankness before his senses reminded him as to Kiba's chakra signature being nearby. And when they did, Tobirama was brought back to reality and wrenched away from any kind of bliss.

It was really beginning to be annoying.

But instead of growing angered, the man just closed his eyes and tried to order his thoughts. Rather than try to meditate completely, the man would just try to come with explanations to both his and Kiba's actions. Justifications to all of Hiruzen's 'knowing' looks. Reasons behind why he still followed after Kiba even after weeks of having been revived and being more than knowledgeable enough about the village to walk around alone.

Most times, this was extremely productive. And even though it didn't leave him feeling as peaceful as a regular session of meditation, it allowed Tobirama to feel somewhat calm and ordered.

But today, just like with the meditation, the man could not seem to be able to concentrate. So with a sigh, he opened his eyes and looked over in the direction of the children.

The Hyuga girl had just shown off her affinity for lightning affinity. Nothing too surprising, considering how he saw her chakra. It was docile most of the times. But it could become almost unbelievably feral at a moment's notice.

Now it was the Inuzuka's turn. And just like Tobirama would expect from him, the paper clumped up into dirt, showing his affinity for the earth release. Although after a few seconds of being in the boy's hand, the dirt suddenly wettened and became soggy, then fell in large clumps of mud onto the floor below.

Earth _and_ water affinity?

It wasn't unheard of. But Tobirama would never have expected _Kiba_ to be one of the few that had affinity for such opposite forces.

"Uh... Kurenai Sensei... Is my chakra broken?"

Kiba reminded Tobirama a lot of Hashirama in the sense that most of the times, when they were together, he had to stop himself from slapping his face in complete surprise and irritation at the moments of pure stupidity he suffered.

~/~

Kiba had been right. Tobirama was too harsh to be a good teacher. And he was mean. And he needed to understand that not everyone could wear heavy armor all the time.

"It's too heavy!"

"I have told you before and I will tell you again, Inuzuka, I do not care." The mean red eyed jerk rolled those mean red eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest, "That armor is intentionally heavy to weigh you down to make you work harder. Now finish the kata so we may resume your lessons on water style jutsu."

The Inuzuka sweat profusely as he forced his body to go through the practiced motions a tenth time _that day_. And with a harsh hiss at the way his muscles screamed and begged him to stop, the boy managed to finish up the motions before collapsing onto the floor and unlatching the armor that Tobirama had forced him to wear to all of their training sessions.

It was much like the man's own, although silver and not as battle scarred. And it was annoyingly heavy. Kiba despised it. If it were up to him, he would bury the damn thing so far below the surface that no one would be able to find it ever again... Which was the reason why Tobirama made sure to take it back after every session so he couldn't do just that.

For some reason beyond him, the crazed Senju had decided to take him under his wing after finding out he had an affinity for water release. His mother and sister had both told him this was a good thing; that spending more time with his soulmate could only be beneficial. But the only benefit it had earned him until now was that his body was always sore and he had a newfound hate for all things liquid.

The only reason he took baths was because his nose would undoubtedly revolt if he didn't.

Once he'd gotten rid of the heavy piece of metal that he despised, Kiba stalked over to Tobirama and collapsed onto his knees in front of him. And the white haired jerk was kneeling peacefully, looking as pristine and well put together as if he'd just finished getting ready rather than having just finished forcing Kiba into training after chasing him down.

"Now, what jutsu shall we begin with today?"

At the beginning of this whole thing, Kiba had tried to actually voice what he wanted to do. But Tobirama always ended up choosing something else and forcing him to go along with it. So now the boy just glared at him, quietly contemplating if he could get away with murdering the Second Hokage.

As he glared and allowed the man to choose what they would do, Kiba took note of the man's high cheek bones and pale skin. It looked like it would be extremely tight skin, the kind like Kiba's own, which didn't have much elasticity. And it was extremely pale, the kind that would redden from any minute touch.

Thinking about this, Kiba couldn't help but raise his hands to the man's cheeks.

His eyes were closed. He would not noticed until Kiba had touched the cheeks. And that would give the Inuzuka enough time to-

"Oh my god, they're actually soft!"

~/~

His eyebrow was twitching in disdain and anger. And his eyes were narrowed as they glared down at the only person dumb enough to have tried to touch his face in the last _twenty years_.

"Inuzuka, what do you think you're doing?!" Tobirama slapped the boy's hands away even as they tried to pull his cheeks further apart.

"I wanted to see how soft they were! And they're extremely soft!" Kiba marveled at the elasticity of his cheeks, which made Tobirama's frown widen, "Let me touch them again! I just wanna squeeze 'em!"

"My face is not a toy, Inuzuka!"

He stopped the boy's hands before they could grab at his cheeks again. But he could tell from the glint in his eyes that Kiba did not understand that Tobirama did not want his face squished and groped. And he knew for a fact that the boy did not learn unless he was _forced to learn_.

So with a wicked smirk overtaking his lips, Tobirama threw the boy's hands down and moved his own up to his cheeks, squeezing at them.

They were actually extremely firm.

"Wow, they barely have any give." Tobirama gasped softly, pulling at the tan bits of skin in his hands.

"Hey! Let go!" Kiba shouted, hands shooting up to grab at the man's wrists. But Tobirama shook his head, smirking softly at his sudden panic.

The boy would learn to not grab people's faces randomly just because he wanted to.

"You wanted to do this to me, boy, did you not?" He questioned, which made Kiba nod softly. There were tears forming in his eyes and Tobirama squeezed harder. "Well I will do it to you first. If you want to do it to me, it is only fair I do it to you first."

"But it hurts!"

"Is this not what you wanted to do to me?" Tobirama huffed, "Maybe now you will think before acting."

The boy's cheeks were unbelievably firm. Unlike his own, they had barely any elasticity to them. And with each tug at them, Kiba whimpered softly, although he did not try to break away from Tobirama's grip.

(There was a subtle warmth growing in his wrists, right where Kiba was grabbing him. But Tobirama ignored that feeling vehemently, refusing to believe there was any reason behind it other than skin on skin contact. It had nothing to do with soulmates. And there certainly weren't any kind of sparks in his fingertips as he pulled at Kiba's cheeks. None at all.)

"Ow! Tobirama, _please_!"

"Have you learned your lesson?"

"Yes! I promise! Just please stop!"

Tobirama glared down at the child for a second before giving his cheeks one final, _sharp_ pinch that had him shouting out. Then he released the cheeks and leaned back onto his feet, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Will you try to grab my face ever again?"

The Inuzuka rubbed at his cheeks vehemently with tears in his eyes as he glared back at Tobirama. And the answer he received certainly wasn't the on he had been expecting.

"Of course I will. This is war, _old man_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I want to take a moment to thank all of the support for this story. You guys have been amazing! And I hope you all enjoy the rest of the chapters I write for this story!


	5. Failed Wars

He had not been expecting Kiba to mean too much after the whole 'This is war' comment. It was just the boy being theatric just for theatrics sakes because the kid was insane.

Tobirama had never been any more wrong in his whole life.

"You are _not_ going to touch my face! Inuzuka, I swear if you try it one more time, you will be missing appendages!"

"I deserve my revenge!"

Kiba shouted out in frustration as his hands were smacked away by Tobirama yet again. Akamaru barked heatedly, apparently just as intent on Kiba grabbing onto Tobirama's cheeks as the boy himself. And Tobirama himself glared dangerously at both members of the Inuzuka Clan, feeling his eyebrow beginning to twitch in annoyance just like it had taken to doing recently.

Before, this irritated tick of his had barely manifested itself. Ever since his brother's death, he had been freed of most stupidity in his life. But now that he was around Kiba so often, it had come back. And it was with a vengeance. Not one day passed in which his eyebrow did not twitch. All because of the overly annoying Inuzuka currently glaring at him as he sat beside him.

"Are you truly this childish?"

"It really hurt when you did it to me! And, by your logic, I should get a chance to do it to you!" Kiba huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest, only for the white haired man to sigh heavily and shake his head.

"You truly are one of the most thick headed people I know."

"Thank you."

With a deadpan look to the Inuzuka, Tobirama could not help but wonder just why he even put up with this much stupidity. "That was _not_ a compliment."

~/~

"Let me touch your face."

The insufferable white haired man breathed out heavily even as both of his eyes remained closed. He was busy meditating while Kiba's team ran a few drills. But Kurenai had let Kiba rest for a while as she helped Shino and Hinata with something or another. So now the boy was in front of Tobirama, intent on getting his hands on that face.

"If you insist on me allowing you to touch my face, I will make you water jutsu practices _much worse_."

In Kiba's mind, there was no way that it could get any worse. He was already so bone tired after Tobirama's training sessions that he slept for twelve hours after them. And, while he'd gotten much stronger, he'd also begun to form a kind of resentment towards anything with water that he truly was wondering if there was any way for him to avoid bathing.

"I highly doubt they could get any worse." He murmured softly, idly patting at Akamaru's head as he turned back to watch his friends going through some motions or another.

~/~

Kiba thought training could not get worse?

Tobirama proved him wrong.

And even though there was a voice at the back of his head that, for some reason beyond him, asked him to take it easy on the kid, Tobirama refused to do so. He would make sure to run Kiba as ragged as possible with his training sessions. Even when his left side ached, he ignored it and made Kiba move faster and use more chakra.

When Kiba compared him to some man named 'Guy Sensei' and proclaimed to never want to see him again, Tobirama declared victory.

Finally he would be able to close this silly chapter of fake soulmates. And he could focus on finding his true other half. For he would no longer have to busy himself showing a twelve year old that they truly weren't right for each other.

~/~

Tobirama was a bastard. He was mean, did not understand that Kiba was not as disciplined or strong as he when it came to training, and did not let the Inuzuka grab his face.

After the jerk had brought him to tears because of his harsh grip on his cheeks, Kiba believed he at least deserved to pinch him back. At least _once_. But the jerk insisted on slapping his hands away whenever they went anywhere near his face and punished him with brutal training sessions that left Kiba wondering if the man was secretly a sadist.

He had become so difficult to be around that Kiba had actually begun to avoid him. Forget the ache in his chest whenever they were far from each other, his body couldn't take the abuse anymore!

At first, he was okay with pushing Tobirama to his limit to try and get revenge on him for having abused of his face. But after weeks of failing to get his revenge and only getting harsher workouts as his reward, Kiba had gotten fed up. And now he was currently hiding from the white haired brute in the one place Tobirama would never expect to find him: _the library_.

A bark from Akamaru brought Kiba out of his thoughts and made him shush the pup. "Akamaru, you've got to be quiet! The book keeper person doesn't know we're here and we've got to keep it that way!" He hissed down at his best friend, which made the dog whine softly and shake his head before pawing at one of the books in front of him. "What? You want to read something?"

This was something that many people wouldn't expect. Akamaru, just like most of the dogs of the Inuzuka clan, were able to read.

'Might as well.' The dog rumbled, sitting himself down, 'We're going to be here a while.'

"Careful, you might break something."

Akamaru leveled him with an unamused stare, then huffed before pulling out a book with his paw and opening it with it. For Kiba, this was all normal. He had grown up with dogs that read to him when his mother couldn't complete the job. So seeing Akamaru doing all of this was nothing new. Although that one woman over at the end of the book aisle seemed surprised for some reason.

'Careful, you might learn something.' Akamaru bit back then settled to read.

He could have answered back with another quip or something. But Akamaru was on to something. They were in a library. Libraries had books. Books were meant for reading. And it wouldn't hurt to brush up on the skills he had barely used even while in the Academy.

After a moment of pondering, the boy shrugged softly, looked for the most interesting looking back in the aisle, and made himself comfortable by laying on his stomach with his right hand on Akamaru's back to softly pet at it.

"Might as well read something..."

~/~

"You are telling me that Kiba is actually hiding from you? The boy that so enjoys being around his soulmate is actively _staying away_? Tobirama Sensei, just what have you done to that poor child for him to change his tune so quickly?"

Tobirama did not enjoy the truly worried tone his student's voice had taken as he asked. It was as if Sarutobi actually believed that he had done something wrong. But all he had truly done was proved that Kiba, in no way, could be his soulmate. He was not a strong shinobi nor did he have any kind of discipline. And there was no way that they could possibly be soulmates with so many personality related aspects getting in the way.

Kiba enjoyed disorder, having fun at all times, and purposely taking things out of their place just to see if the result was interesting. Tobirama, on the other hand, enjoyed order, believed there was a time for fun and another for hard work and it had to be respected, and liked to keep things in their place.

They just were not compatible.

"As you know, I took him under my wing for a while to teach him proper technique for water release jutsu. In that time, I believe I opened his eyes to the fact that we cannot be soulmates and so he has finally decided to leave me alone." He answered easily and almost offhandedly, all the while his eyes scanned over some documents he had pulled out that dealt with Orochimaru.

He would be accompanying the Inuzuka matriarch and the prized shinobi, Kakashi Hatake, once they came back with the initial report of the traitor's whereabouts. So he was studying up on the man's fighting style to make sure that his capture went as smoothly and successfully as possible.

"Excluding the last bit about being soulmates," Hiruzen sighed softly, oddly reminding Tobirama of his own sighs whenever he became exasperated with any given situation, "You _are_ aware of what you just told me?"

One white eyebrow quirked just slightly, even though Tobirama said nothing. And Sarutobi frowned heavily before clearing his throat and explaining himself.

"You pushed Kiba Inuzuka so far that he ran from you. A boy that both enjoyed and learned from his interactions with you. A boy that is so drawn to you that it can begin to hurt him to be far from you." The more Hiruzen spoke, the more Tobirama's throat tightened. But it wasn't because he had felt bad about pushing his soulmate away. Not at all. It was because he had lost a promising student.

"There is not much I can do now, Hiruzen. He is gone and I shall not find him."

"You really should look into your problem. I am sure that lying to yourself cannot be considered healthy."

~/~

"Seriously, you're being an idiot. You have an opportunity to learn from one of the greatest shinobi that ever lived and you're wasting it to _read_ in the library... You don't even _like_ the library!"

"Sasuke, I refuse to listen to you as long as you are insulting me."

"Then you'll never be able to listen to me because you are a fool and an idiot."

"Good thing. Can't stand that broken as all hell pre-teen voice of yours anymore."

There was a moment of silence in which Kiba was allowed to return to his readings without Sasuke bothering him. But then a hand slapped his book down and onto the floor and another grabbed onto his jacket's collar to pull him towards the annoying Uchiha. And with dark eyes glaring into Kiba's own, the younger of the two frowned deeply.

"Inuzuka, I cannot stand your sulking around anymore. All you ever do nowadays is hide yourself inside the library and _read_. What the hell happened to you to make you change so drastically?"

Grueling physical exercises and constantly needing to get better.

And... Well... Reading wasn't so bad. He'd actually learned quite a lot about his soulmate ever since Akamaru had decided to buckle down and spend some time reading. Along with his village's and his own clan's history.

Who would have thought that his many times great grandfather had one of the few shinobi outside of the Hatake clan to tame wolves? And not just two or three, no, a _whole pack of wolves_.

Frowning softly at Sasuke's inquisitive and somewhat worried look, the Inuzuka crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Nothing. I would think that you would be proud of me actually picking up a book."

"Who's your soulmate?"

"Seriously?"

"You have yet to tell any of us, your actions have been worrying lately, I want to know."

"Buzz off, Uchiha."

"Tell me!"

~/~

Hiruzen had denied him leaving on the mission to bring Orochimaru back to the village. _His student_. Denied _him_.

Recently, his life had become so odd that Tobirama found it hard to believe that things that happened truly were occurring. And, really, it was a miracle he had yet to strike out violently at some of the people around him.

Hiruzen and Kiba apparently enjoyed giving him headaches.

And as part of the growing headache, Tobirama had to decide which was more important: maintaining his distance from Kiba or going off to chase after Orochimaru to bring him to justice.

What Sarutobi's interest in seeing him and Kiba getting along truly meant Tobirama was not sure. Maybe his student wanted to see him even remotely content with the person he suspected of being his soul mate. Or maybe his life had become so dull recently with paper work (even though there were more than enough other things that were a thousand times more dangerous to take said interest) that he needed to stick his spoon into a soulmate relationship that didn't exist.

Whatever the true reason, Tobirama relented that the man honestly believed he was doing good by them both. Even though he wanted nothing more to do with Kiba after he managed to scare him off with such grueling training sessions. Even though now Kiba never wanted to see his face again. The man still believed he was helping by trying to force them to interact.

With a stern frown, the Second Hokage entered the largest library in Konoha to look for Kiba. He had to admit, this would be a good hiding place if he weren't a sensor. Truly, he would never have thought to look for the Inuzuka in here. But because he could feel his chakra signature (along with how it felt to be somewhat prickly, much like it would get when the boy was annoyed and irritated), Tobirama knew for a fact he would find him in here.

He passed through the rows of books with a contemplative yet uncaring gaze. It was interesting to see so many books and scrolls kept together and in such an ordered manner. And from what he saw from some of the titles, they ranged from story books all the way to training guides for shinobi.

What here could have kept Kiba's interest for more than an hour, he would have to see. For this seemed to be the kind of place that _he_ would enjoy but Kiba would despise.

When he got to Kiba's position, he found his Uchiha friend grabbing him tightly by the front of his jacket. But he guessed that there must have been any danger for when he chanced a glance to the ground, he found Akamaru sitting comfortably with eyes scanning a book.

"Inuzuka."

Two warring emotions appeared on the boy's face the second he heard him. The first was relief, most probably at being saved from the Uchiha by him. But the other was pure terror, which most probably came from his extremely fresh memories of vigorous katas and brutal punishments.

There was a twinge of regret in Tobirama's chest upon noticing this. But he refused to truly take note of it... Or tried to.

He must have been getting soft.

~/~

It had just not been his day. First Sasuke, now Tobirama.

Oh, what could that man want now? Had his mother asked him to continue spending time with him? Because if she had, she'd be getting an earful from him later on. He didn't want to be around his soulmate if he was only going to be a strict jerk!

"Uh... Hi?"

Tobirama's face never shifted from his fixed frown. He was not amused by Kiba's answer nor too interested by the position he currently he found himself in. Even though Sasuke was now glaring at him even as his hands uncurled from his jacket.

"Come with me, boy."

He didn't want to. But the traitorous Akamaru yipped and ran up to Tobirama in an instant. And if he didn't go with the man after that, then it would seem weird to Sasuke.

Although from the way the boy was looking from him to Tobirama, Kiba knew the gears in his head were turning.

"See you later, Uchiha."

He scurried after Tobirama as quickly as he could after that. But he didn't try to strike up a conversation.

For the first time since they had met, it was Tobirama leading him around the village. It wasn't Kiba doing the leading this time. And the Inuzuka was terrified as to where he was being taken.

He _didn't_ want to be trained again. _Not by Tobirama_.

But he still followed. There was a certain type of... _Something_ in Tobirama's voice that made him curious. He didn't seem as sure and proud of himself as before. He seemed _unsure_ , in a way. And Kiba kind of wanted to find out why.

A few minutes of following in complete silence later, Kiba received his answer. Or, well, a kind of answer.

"You like steak?"

They were standing in front of his favorite steak house. And Tobirama stood to the side of the door, hand pointed inside as if to tell him to go ahead and enter.

"Yeah..."

The man nodded softly, then motioned for Kiba to enter. "Let's get some steak."


	6. Botched Mission

It wasn't a forward type of sorry. And Kiba didn't really think it counted as _any_ kind of apology. Because there was no real agreement that came out of it. They just... Got better. But they never truly spoke about the reasons why Kiba had run away and Tobirama had pushed him away.

Quite frankly, he had not liked being so far away from his soulmate for so long. His chest and side would burn whenever he thought of Tobirama and how little he wanted to be around him. Because, really, it _hurt_ to be far away from his other half. And it hurt even more to think that the man was being so rude to him, even with their clear connection.

But after the whole 'Never want to see your face again because you're a slave driving jerk!', Tobirama had gotten better.

Call him a sucker, but that steak lunch had made everything feel better. Having Tobirama force him to go and get some food together, then spend that time with each other, made Kiba feel like the world was right all over again. The man was still an emotionless jerk. But he must have cared to at least offer to buy steak, something that Kiba loved even though he didn't.

They never truly spoke about their relationship. But Kiba was content to just have him as a good friend. Soulmates didn't have to be romantically involved, after all.

Besides, Tobirama was always busy with chasing after Orochimaru. And Kiba didn't really want to bother him while he focused on that, seeing how the great Traitor of the Hidden Leaf needed to be brought to justice as soon as possible.

And, really, even though being far from the man hurt, Kiba understood that it was for a reason. And now that he had learned so many different things while under his tutelage and away from it, Kiba was able to focus on his training and distract himself.

Then he had been sent on a mission with the rest of his friends to chase after Sasuke. He had been kidnapped by some of Orochimaru's servants for some reason they didn't know. And because the village was still in the midst of repairing after Orochimaru's attack, there weren't too many able bodied shinobi that weren't already on a mission. Which left the Rookies. Kiba, Naruto, Chouji, and Neji. All under Shikamaru's chunin leadership.

It was terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time. When they'd begun the chase, Kiba had felt his chest swell in pride at being at the front. Akamaru had been real happy about getting to lead, too.

But then everything had become overly serious. Chouji had been left behind. Then Neji. And finally... _Them_. There was no way that Akamaru and he would be able to defeat the twins they had been left to.

But that didn't mean they wouldn't try.

~/~

He had come back from the scouting mission he had gone on with Tsume and Hatake. They had not been successful in acquiring the slippery snake, but they had not faced any other complications aside from that.

When he got to Sarutobi's office, he found the man looking grimmer than he had ever seen before. And before he could even ask what was wrong, he had been answered.

And a sudden sense of panic he would deny for the rest of his life quickly overtook him.

"Kiba's friend, Sasuke Uchiha, was taken by four of Orochimaru's pawns. He is currently on a team of genin and one chunin chasing after opponents that are undoubtedly stronger than them. I do not know of their status."

His left side began to burn at that precise moment. A burn unlike anything he'd ever felt before. It wasn't warm like before, nor was it tame. It felt like a raging fire began to consume him.

And then he felt as if a kunai had gone straight through his shoulder.

"I shall go and find them."

He'd run off before Hiruzen had told him anything else.

He was worried. Terrified that something horrifying had happened to Kiba. And at that moment, he didn't think about how he still refused to believe that Kiba was his soulmate. The kid was going up against _Orochimaru's students_. And there was no way the little mongrel could save himself with the complete incompetency he'd shown with just about anything he'd tried to teach him during those perilous days.

~/~

He had no chakra left.

There was a large body of water he could use if he wished to, he could try and muscle up some kind of chakra to try and use one of the jutsu Tobirama had beat into his head... But he was so tired. And Akamaru was on death's door. He was on death's sidewalk, pretty close to it. But he still trudged on in the hopes that _something_ would save him.

He didn't know why. He had never hoped on anybody coming around to save him before. His mother had made sure to make clear that if ever he did something stupid in the field, he couldn't expect anybody to bail his sorry ass out. If ever he did something as stupid as what he had done today, he could expect to die, murdered by his enemy.

He had been fine with that, really. He wasn't lying. To keep Sasuke safe, he was more than okay with laying his own life down. Especially because he had been able to give those two annoying twins a taste of their own medicine by stabbing himself. Even though... If only he had been stronger...

Maybe he _should_ have listened to Tobirama when he'd tried to train him. Maybe then he would have been strong enough to finish this fight.

Although, he had to admit, those twins had not expected the rock clone he had been able to create and use to fool them into believing he was running in the opposite direction he went. And seeing that Sakkon bastard freak out when the rock enveloped him after the clone had been killed.

Even though it had used all the chakra he had kept after the Inuzuka Style: Man Beast Transformation Combo: Two-Headed Wolf attack. He had none left... And those two bastards were still up and about and chasing him down.

"You smell that, Akamaru?" He questioned softly as he staggered towards what appeared to be a tree, although the dark forming at the edge of his vision didn't really let him make sure of it. "Death's coming."

Death had been around them from the moment they had left Chouji behind. Death's pungent smell clung to _all of them_ , and Kiba, being an Inuzuka, knew exactly what that meant. The genin that had left the Hidden Leaf behind to chase after Sasuke would _not_ be the same that came back.

... If any even managed to go back.

The dog whimpered futilely, telling Kiba to stop being an idiot and get his ass in motion. If they kept on moving, there might have been a chance that they would survive.

Kiba did not agree with his dog. So he just sat against the hard bark of tree behind him and leaned his head back.

"I just hope Tobirama can't see me now... Would get all pissed off about my reckless actions or something..."

~/~

An Akimichi had been the first to be harmed. Tobirama fixed him up as much as he dared to do before leaving a beacon for the medical ninja Hiruzen would undoubtedly be sending behind him. But he moved off, the burning in his left side so horrible that it forced him to think about the possibility of Kiba possibly... No. He wouldn't think about that. He would ignore all the aches of his body until he had gotten to the Inuzuka.

He came across a knocked out Hyuga that seemed as dead as he had been a couple of months ago. But he looked the teen over and found that, much like the Akimichi, he was clinging to a thread of life. So he did all he could to keep the boy's heart beating before he left yet another beacon and took off.

The burning in his side was getting to a fever pitch. It felt like a fire was engulfing him, _consuming him_.

Kiba's chakra signature was so low that he could barely find it. But the boy was still alive and kicking. Just like the unholy chakra signature near his own.

For a second, the heat in Tobirama's side became so much that he had to stop and try to control it. But then it stopped, leaving him _frozen_.

He had never run so fast before. And he had never been so terrified either. But once he got to Kiba's chakra, he found the boy inches away from a pale and disgusting creature that could not have been human.

The kill was not flashy. Nor was it as clean as Tobirama would have liked. But the annoying Inuzuka that had become the bane of his existence was dying and this monster had brought him _inches_ from death.

He tackled the creature without thinking. And he stuck a kunai straight through its brain without any kind of hesitation once he was far enough away from Kiba to keep him from getting hurt if anything went wrong.

A second head appeared on its shoulder suddenly, screaming and wailing in pure agony. And Tobirama pulled the bloody kunai out from the first head to impale in the second.

All was still after he had done that. The body with two heads fell to the floor with a dull and lifeless thud. And this brought great joy to Tobirama.

When he turned to Kiba, he found that a third person had appeared. Another boy, this one with a black jumpsuit and something on carried on his back. He was kneeling over Kiba and turning his head from one side to the other.

Tobirama's anger knew no bounds.

"Get your hand off of him before you find a kunai through your _throat_!"

~/~

When he next woke up, it wasn't in the next world like he'd thought. And if he had, it looked a lot like a regular hospital room in Konoha, although it was filled with a lot more dogs than he would have expected. And... Hana wasn't supposed to be in here... Neither were Itachi or Sasuke.

With his eyes squinted, Kiba coughed out to clear his throat before he spoke up. "Am I dead?"

Sasuke and Itachi had both been seated quietly on the uncomfortable plastic chairs that stood to his right. But when he heard Kiba speak up, Sasuke suddenly jumped out of his chair and into the bed to hug his friend tightly.

"It's a miracle you aren't! You idiot! Do you have any idea what you almost did to yourself! If Lord Senju had not gone after you, you, Chouji, and Neji would all have died!"

Sasuke then continued to scream about him being a hopeless buffoon without any logic or reasoning to help him in any way. He shook Kiba by his shoulders, which made pain shoot up from where he had stabbed himself, although the Inuzuka tried to keep his mouth quiet. And he was only stopped when Itachi placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

"Brother, please. You are only hurting him further."

Hana's soulmate had always reminded him a lot of his sister. All stern, and in love with rules, yet somehow understanding. And even if he was quiet, just like Hana, he seemed to know exactly what and when to say something to be able to get through even the most stubborn of people.

Once Sasuke had calmed down, he had explained everything that had happened. And Kiba was glad to hear that even with his predictions, all of his friends were still alive. Especially now that the worrying mark on Sasuke's neck had been taken away... Wait a minute. When had that appeared? And who had gotten rid of it?

Just when he was about to ask these questions, a new scent entered his room. One of wood, blood, and paint that he had smelled before. One that had appeared when he had least expected it.

"I was told dog boy was awake."

~/~

Tobirama had not appreciated the seal left on Sasuke Uchiha by Orochimaru. Neither had Hiruzen or Kakashi. But with their combined knowledge, they had been able to free the boy of it once they had gotten him back.

Every single one of the kids that had gone off to chase after the kidnapped Uchiha was still alive. Including Kiba.

And the boy that had been sent from the Sand to help was as annoying as Kiba had been. And he seemed to enjoy irritating him as much as the Inuzuka had.

Kankuro enjoyed bothering him and questioning why he had been so swift and cold hearted when it came to dispatching the monsters that had almost killed Kiba. And because he was around the village because of having aided when they had needed the help, he spent his time following Tobirama around and questioning him.

The only good thing that had come out of this whole debacle had been that the shaky alliance with the Sand now had a more stable base to build upon.

This was a huge mess. Orochimaru, Sasuke, Naruto. They were all connected in a sick web that he wasn't sure how to take. And even though the snake had been foiled twice now in his plans to bring the Hidden Leaf down, Tobirama was more than sure that there would be more plans to come.

With a heavy sigh, Tobirama entered the room that had Kiba had been assigned to. He did not want to admit it, but he had been worried about the boy. He had been so close to death... For once, he had been quiet and still and had not fought Tobirama in any way... Carrying him back to the village had been one of the hardest things Tobirama had ever had to do in his life.

Kiba was laying down on the stiff hospital bed with a soft frown on his face. The Kankuro brat was sitting beside him, all the while Sasuke and Itachi stood to the side of the room. And Hana was down on her knees, tending to Akamaru.

When he entered, Kiba had looked serious and sad. But as soon as his eyes fell on Tobirama, Kiba's face broke out into a large smile.

And the tight knot that had formed in his stomach undid itself in that moment. And he allowed a small smile of his own to appear on his face as he nodded towards the boy.

... All this trouble for a boy he still refused to admit to being his soulmate...


	7. One Step Back, Two Steps Forward

Kankuro, for some reason beyond him, stuck around.

No matter what he was doing during the day, Tobirama knew that at some point, the puppeteer would appear to keep him company. He was intelligent enough to hold interesting conversations with, as long as Kiba _wasn't_ around.

If Kiba had been bad by himself, there were no words to accurately describe how the two of them were together.

It was as if they were synchronized. Their sarcastic comments, insults, and usually rude actions were timed so perfectly that one would have thought they had known each other for years now. And when they teamed up with Naruto, there was no saving whoever they deemed worthy of targeting for pranks.

One would think that after experiencing a near death battle, Kiba would have straightened up. And many would think that he hadn't.

But if there was anything that had happened after that, Kiba had become more serious. He had even approached Tobirama to be able to continue learning water style jutsu. Nobody had asked him to do this. Instead, he had come to this decision by himself. And Tobirama had accepted without thinking too much on it. Nor did he wonder later on just why he had been so eager to resume spending time with the Inuzuka.

He would never admit to it out loud, but he had been terrified after Kiba had almost died. He didn't want the boy leaving the village for any missions, nor did he want him hanging around anybody that might harm him. He didn't tell anyone this, of course. Even though he did stop Hiruzen from assigning Team 8 the missions that looked like they had even the most minute possibility of going wrong.

That was because he didn't want the kid to die. He now had a competent student that listened to him without questioning and did everything he was told when it came to training. He didn't want to lose the chance to pass on his knowledge to a future generation. That was the only reason why he tried to accompany Kiba as much as he could when he wasn't busy. Because he wanted to make sure he was following with his training regime.

There was nothing more to it.

~/~

Tobirama was nicer now. Kiba liked it. And Kankuro was hilarious.

Even though it was very clear to him that the Second Hokage did not like being around the puppeteer, he still put up with him whenever he and Kiba were together. He followed them around like a silent shadow without really interfering. Which was good, because when they got together, it usually was to prank someone.

Tobirama had even joined in on a prank once and helped them trap the usual chunin in charge of the village gates, Kotetsu and Izumo, get themselves trapped in Izumo's sticky syrup attack.

That had been a good day. Even the always frowning Second Hokage ended up smiling at the sight of both grown men flailing around to try and get out of the trap they had unwittingly set for themselves. And Kankuro and Kiba had high fived with broad smiles, proud that they had managed to outsmart the two men. And when Kiba had turned to thank Tobirama for having lured the two chunin out of their posts, he found the man looking at him with a small smile that felt so warm, the Inuzuka's cheeks heated up.

Before that, Kiba had not known that Tobirama could look so _human_.

He liked it.

~/~

The Uchiha from now were completely different from the ones he had known in his lifetime. They were not fueled by a desire to rule over Konoha with an iron fist. Instead, they wished to cohabitate with the civilians and other clans of the village. Although their clan head was rather young.

"Hana has told me great things about you, Lord Second." The teenage head of his clan bowed deeply as he spoke, then looked back at Tobirama with an almost proud glint in his eyes. "And Sasuke really does appreciate you having saved Kiba from Orochimaru's pawns."

Ah... Sasuke. The young Uchiha that happened to be Kiba's best friend.

"You two are brothers, am I correct?" He questioned softly as he knelt down on the mat that had been lain out for him before the coffee table, all the while Itachi settled in front of him.

With a soft nod, the teen motioned a servant over to begin serving their tea. The woman that came up didn't have any striking Uchiha characteristics. Instead, she was a blonde with light brown eyes. Quite the sight to see when all Tobirama had known in his time were Uchiha that refused to mingle with outsiders.

"Hana speaks greatly about you. And she insisted that I should meet with you at least once. For you to be able to see how great the Uchiha clan has been doing, even after the turmoil and problems we have experienced."

Tobirama looked around the room with a lazy air about him, taking in the minimal decorations and comfortable fluidity about the whole atmosphere. From what he remembered of the Uchiha clan, they always loved their flair for drama. Even in the midst of a terrible war, their clan head's tent was always furnished with only the best materials available.

It seemed to him that this Itachi Uchiha was unlike any other Uchiha he had ever met in his time. And for this, he was grateful.

He did not want to hate anymore. Not now that he had been given a second chance at his life. He had spent the first half of it under a haze of stubbornness that had not allowed him to grow close to more than just a handful of people. Now he could try and create relationships that were more than merely professional.

"She is your soulmate, am I correct?" The man asked softly once the young servant had finished up serving his tea, which got another nod from Itachi. "Do you plan on marrying?"

This made the teen freeze up. And immediately, Tobirama knew why.

"You're betrothed to another."

"I am." The Uchiha sighed heavily. "I have been since I was a child. To the heiress of the Hyuga clan. Even though she is my brother's age, my father deemed a marital alliance with the Hyuga the best to strike at the moment. And the elders of the Hyuga clan agreed as well."

Tobirama quirked an eyebrow at the desolation in his voice, then closed his eyes to breathe in before he opened them again, "Tell me, Lord Itachi, do you love your soulmate?"

The teen's dark eyes began to brighten at the mention of his soulmate. But then they darkened, "I do."

Tobirama nodded as he cleared his throat, leveling him with a serious look, "Whenever she is around, does your heart flutter and your stomach fill with butterflies? When she is away, does your soul mark ache and pull you in her direction? When she is hurt, do you feel her pain?"

"Of course I do." The male's lips curled downward into a deep frown, "Lord Second, I-"

"Then forget what your father agreed to when you were mere children." With this, the man took a small sip of his tea and smirked softly, "You were not born to serve only the Uchiha clan. You are your own person. You are allowed to love the person that was created for you. Do not live your life in bitterness, instead embrace love."

For a moment, Itachi was left too stunned to speak. But then he composed himself and smiled sadly, "It's not that easy."

"I never said it would be." Tobirama placed his cup down on the table and smiled warmly at an Uchiha- the first time in a long time he did this- "But your soulmate is worth fighting for. Isn't she?"

~/~

"Yeah, I've got myself a soulmate somewhere out there..." Kankuro smiled stupidly as he and Kiba lay lazily on top of Second Hokage's head, gazing up at the sky to point out the clouds. "And I can't wait to meet them."

Kiba smiled warmly at his words, more than aware of how great it was to meet one's soulmate. "It's pretty nice... Mine's real nice when he's not being a complete jerk..."

The air around him had been lazy and happy. But for some reason, after he'd said this, it had changed. Kankuro sat up to look at him with confusion.

"What do you mean? _He_?" The puppeteer questioned, "The hell? Inuzuka, your soulmate's supposed to be a chick."

Now Kiba sat up and looked into Kankuro's confused eyes with questioning of his own. "No... My soulmate's a dude... Kankuro, that's totally normal. Your soulmate's supposed to be your other half. But that doesn't mean they have to be the opposite sex."

"Of course they have to be the opposite sex." At this, the boy from Suna smiled uncomfortably. He clearly wanted to treat this subject with tact. Which was odd, coming from a guy like him. "That's why they're your other half. Because they're usually opposite from you in as many ways as possible. Including their sex."

Kiba blinked at his friend for a few seconds before frowning deeply, "That's not true... Dude, it's normal for your soulmate to be the same sex."

"Oh really?" Now Kankuro frowned as well, eyebrows knitting together, "Tell me another pair of soulmates that happen to be the same sex. Your sister's with that Uchiha guy. That annoying blonde has the moody Uchiha. Fox Breath's got the quiet chick. And on and on the people you know go. _No one_ has a soulmate from the same sex because it's not _normal_."

There was an edge to his voice that Kiba didn't like. Not angry in itself. But instead, it sounded as if Kankuro was trying to convince himself of what he was speaking about.

Kiba didn't think about that, though. Instead, he began to question his whole life.

Kankuro was right. He didn't know a single person with a soulmate of the same sex. Even though his family had accepted Tobirama easily enough, none of his friends knew who his soulmate was. But if they did... Would they accept him? If he was different, would they try and stick with him? Or would they push him away because he was a freak?

"You're... You're right..." Kiba breathed out, suddenly feeling as if the weight of the whole word had been dumped on his shoulders.

"Damn straight I am." Kankuro nodded to himself, "Can't two guys be soulmates, Inuzuka. The world doesn't work that way."

The world didn't work that way... Kiba was a freak...

~/~

He had been feeling particularly good today. He had helped Itachi break off the marriage alliance with the Hyuga and was now making his way over to the training grounds to test Kiba's skill in the Water Transformation Jutsu. And he was more than sure that the boy would be successful today, feeling particularly well spirited as he walked.

Although his unusual good mood dampened when he arrived at the grounds to find Kiba sitting with a large frown on his face, Akamaru whining on his lap as he pawed at his face.

"Kiba?" He called out to grasp the boy's attention, which made him look up.

He had tears in his eyes.

Tobirama's chest tightened at the sight of the boy so close to crying, but refused to acknowledge it for being his soulmate. It was just a teacher's instinct to want to keep his student protected. This was nothing new or unusual.

"Tobirama... You're my soulmate, right?"

The question caught the man completely off guard. Kiba had not spoken about the whole confused soulmate topic ever since they had met. He had barely even spoken about them supposedly being joined by fate.

He didn't know how to answer. So instead of saying anything, the man remained quiet.

Kiba's shoulders sagged and his head fell before he whispered softly, "I knew it... I'm not meant to have a soulmate... I'm just broken or something..."

The pure sadness in his voice made Tobirama's heart _squeeze_.

"Two guys aren't supposed to be soulmates. That doesn't happen. Kankuro was right." Then the boy breathed out heavily before he looked up with tears streaming down his cheeks, "Think I can take today off? I... I'm not ready for more training right now..."

~/~

Kankuro was right. He didn't know why he'd hoped. Tobirama wasn't his soulmate. The large image on his side was faulty or something. He was born wrong and he'd grown up wrong. You couldn't just acquire a soulmate after years of not having one. That wasn't normal. Just like it wasn't normal to have a soulmate that was of the same sex.

Kiba got up from the floor after he'd asked Tobirama if he could take the day off. And he moved to run away, but suddenly found a soft yet firm hand wrapping around his upper arm.

"My brother had a soulmate that was a male." The man's words were clipped and almost whispered, "He married Mito to be able to continue the Senju bloodline... But he truly loved another... A male Uchiha, at that."

Kiba's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this, then he looked up into Tobirama's narrowed red eyes. "You... You're not lying to me, are you?"

This made Tobirama frown. "Of course not." Then the man sighed and moved Kiba so that he was standing before him, hands on either of his shoulders. "If I can be honest, Kiba, I do not believe I am your soulmate. Although your family and the Hokage do believe so."

At this, Kiba scrunched his face up in confusion... "But... Wouldn't you be able to see with just looking at your soul mark?"

The man's eyes flashed with annoyance for a second before he answered, "I made my promise to myself at a young age. If ever I found the soulmate I had been born without, _they_ would be the first to see my mark. Nobody else."

For a moment, both males stood in silence. Tobirama held onto Kiba's arms while Kiba looked up at him with eyebrows drawn in. Then he smiled dumbly and raised his right hand to pat Tobirama's arm.

"Easy fix! I'll look at your mark and tell you for sure!"

..~..~..

Unplanned angst is unplanned! But at least now Tobirama's closer to accepting Kiba as his soulmate!


	8. Chapter 8

Kiba could understand why Tobirama did not want him to look at his soul mark. But it was truly annoying that the idiot continued to refuse on the grounds that it was because they weren't soulmates. How would he ever be truly certain if he never allowed _anyone_ to see it other then his soulmate? Who was supposed to be their soulmate if it wasn't each other?

"We are!"

"We are _not,_ Inuzuka."

The jerk was frowning deeply, even though it looked more like a pout to the Inuzuka's eyes. Although he couldn't tell the man he looked like he was sulking because that would just put him in an even worse mood. And he was already angry enough that he reminded Kiba a lot of his mother when she was in her unfortunate days.

"How will you ever be sure if you never let me look?" Kiba repeated the same argument he'd been giving for the past week, only to receive the same answer he'd been receiving.

"I just know! We cannot possibly be soulmates, Inuzuka! You are too young! It makes no sense!"

Kiba bristled at the shouts, even though he'd heard them enough times for his outrage at them to not be as great as they had initially been.

The first time Tobirama had admitted this, Kiba had not taken it well. It made _perfect sense_ in his mind that they were supposed to be soulmates. They were each other's opposites. But they weren't too different to clash. Instead they were similar enough that they could get along, even with their clear differences. And no matter how harsh Tobirama was or how hyperactive Kiba could be, they always ended up drifting to each other.

"You're an idiot!"

"And you are a _child_!"

Kiba's face was red with anger. Tobirama's eyes were narrowed, his voice final.

"Just because I'm younger than you?" Kiba hissed, finally having reached the end of his tolerance for Tobirama's stubbornness.

He could understand it at first. Well, he had _tried_. He had given the man his space. But it _hurt_ to be away from Tobirama for too long, especially with the unpleasant tension always around them now. And it was unfair for him to be under so much pain because the Second Hokage refused to believe something that was so _clear_.

Being under so much stress because of his soulmate was making Kiba begin to go crazy. He didn't want to be around his friends. Akamaru tried to stay away because of his foul mood. And even Sasuke had backed off from his pestering after Kiba had just about threatened to rip his arm out of its socket.

"Alright." Kiba grunted, frowning heavily. "If you won't let me see yours, at least look at mine." With this, he unzipped his jacket and allowed it to fall onto the floor.

"Inuzuka, this is getting out of hand. It is silly-"

Kiba tuned him out though. He had gone through enough already. He didn't want to hear anymore of Tobirama's excuses or denial. So he unlatched his armor and threw it onto the floor. Finally, he pulled off his mesh undershirt, raised his right arm up, and pointed at his exposed side with his left hand.

"Look at that and tell me it's not a soul mark for you!"

~/~

A whole week had passed since Kiba had come to him with the heartfelt question about what was right and wrong when it came to soulmates. Tobirama knew that soulmates were not something that were easy to explain, no matter what many may think. Every single person was different and unique. Why would soulmates fall into some kind of generalized pattern? If humanity was compromised of unique individuals, it could not be expected that all soulmates would fall into some standardized category.

He had not been born with a soulmate. He had been abnormal in his original life. And he continued to be an oddity because now that he had been brought back to life, he _did_ have one.

There was no way it could be the Inuzuka though.

There was someone out there for him. Someone that would be perfect for him. But Kiba wasn't that someone. Kiba _couldn't be_. They were so different! And the boy was just that: a boy.

If some twelve year old truly was supposed to be his soulmate, then fate truly had been cruel to him his whole life.

Ever since he had been old enough to understand how different he truly was from the rest of the populace, Tobirama had wanted nothing more than a soulmate he could love and cherish, much like his father had done with his mother before she had died. Much like; even though he was chagrined to admit it; Madara and Hashirama loved one another before they were completely forced apart.

He wanted to love his soulmate in more ways than just friendship. And he could not possibly do that with Kiba.

But now he stared at a soulmate's mark that was so much like _him_ that he could not believe it.

All soul marks were different. None was ever like another. But the one thing all marks had in common was that they gave a pretty understandable picture of who someone's soulmate could be. Some were symbols or even words. But the more common marks were animals that could be interpreted as a person.

Hashirama's mark had been a black wolf with blood red circles around its eyes, dangerous fangs bared, and a large moon behind its large haunches. Madara's own mark, Tobirama had never been able to completely see. All he had been able to register was a bright sun because of the few times he had been able to see the mark before Madara had covered it up.

Sun and moon. Polar opposites. Yet they had been near the same age, hadn't they? Even though they had been so different, they were still near each other in age and never had to worry about that type of berth between them. No, their berth had been something else. Much bigger too.

When Kiba began to tear off his jacket, he had not thought it to be the wisest plan. The boy would just end up with his heart broken. Tobirama would see an animal that had nothing to do with him and he would be able to say that it was nothing like him. The Inuzuka would walk away in much more pain than he had walked in with.

He'd tried to stop Kiba. But the boy had not listened to him. So Tobirama had decided to breathe in, frown softly, and just wait for the moment that would finally mark Kiba's acceptance of the truth.

He had expected something _else_. What he found was something he never would have expected in a million years.

It was somewhat hard to insist that they weren't soulmates when a predatory snow leopard with blood red eyes glared back at him, a stark contrast against the Inuzuka's tanned skin.

"... That could mean anyone..."

~/~

Even though Tobirama's words were annoying and still held defiance, Kiba knew that most of the fight had left him. His words didn't have the same edge as they'd had before he'd showed him his soul mark.

"Who else do you know with striking red eyes and white fur?" The boy asked softly, making sure to keep his tone from sounding too happy.

This was clearly a shock to the older male. He wasn't about to rub it into his face. He may be rude and crass most times, but he was more than aware that he didn't want to hurt his soulmate by being an idiot and jerk.

"That white fur could mean anything..."

Biting back an exasperated sigh, Kiba leveled Tobirama with an almost bored gaze. "You know as well as I do that, often times, when it comes to animals, the eye color is the same of the soulmate, just like the fur color could mean their hair. Who else do you know with bright red eyes, stark white hair, and a silent predatory presence?"

Tobirama's frown deepened at his answer, but he didn't try to fight it. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest and grunted softly. He quirked one eyebrow, as if defying Kiba silently.

With a small smirk, Kiba offered, "We could be completely sure of this if you just let me see your soul mark."

Even though it was extremely clear who Kiba's soulmate was, there was no doubt in Kiba's mind that the man could still try and deny them being soulmates. The coincidence of this being another person, no matter how minute, still existed. And Tobirama could hang onto that, even though it was very clear in Kiba's mind who his soulmate truly was.

"I already told you-"

"I'm your soulmate, you hard headed idiot." Kiba interrupted with a groan, "If you were to let me see it, you wouldn't be breaking your promise from a thousand years ago."

Tobirama's frown soured upon being insulted, but he soon sighed, hung his head, and moved his hands to unlatch his body armor.

~/~

He could not believe he was actually listening to the Inuzuka runt.

His soul mark rested on his left rib cage, a parallel to Kiba's own. Soulmates were supposed to be halves of a whole. Normally, one person's mark rested on the side of the body that was opposite to their soulmates.

Seeing that Kiba's mark rested on his right, while Tobirama's rested on his left, was pretty good evidence to support the idea that they truly were soulmates. Another pretty big sign was the fact that Kiba's sign looked _so much_ like an animal that could be _him_.

Admittedly, he had once been compared to a snow leopard by a shinobi from the Land of Snow. Graceful, dangerous, quiet, and admirable. And red eyes certainly weren't something that was normally found in the world. Much like white hair wasn't a very common trait.

Unfortunately, his reasons to deny Kiba possibly being his soulmate were quickly being dashed away.

He took off his armor as slowly as possible. Childishly, he found himself hoping that Kiba would decide to leave this soulmate business alone before he finished taking it off. But the boy just stood there, in the very center of their training area in the Hokage's mansion, standing steadily on the mats below them. His dark eyes were narrowed with determination. And Akamaru was off somewhere; he had not seen the pup ever since this whole soulmate business had begun.

Fur tickled his cheeks as he moved his armor around, unlatching it to get it off. Once the heavy metal had clunked onto the mats, the man grabbed at the ham of his black shirt, frowning deeply once more.

"Are you sure?"

He still wished that Kiba was not his soulmate. But the boy was determined and nodded without any sign of hesitating.

"I'm sure, Lord Second."

With a heavy sigh, the man pulled at his shirt and tugged it off, allowing it to drop on top of his armor before he closed his eyes. He could sense Kiba as he stepped closer towards him, but didn't say a thing. He just kept his eyes closed and allowed for the boy to walk towards him.

~/~

Tobirama's body was as pale as his face. But unlike his face, there were scars that mapped out quite the shinobi career. Long and thin ones. Short and thick ones. Mixtures of these. And there even was one that looked like a hole, most probably created by a kunai. It was on his left shoulder and spoke of a lot of pain.

His body was unbelievably... Was perfect a way to describe it? It was the perfect for a shinobi, really. Muscular, but not overly bulky. Kiba was truly shocked to find out that he wasn't as bulky as he thought he'd be thanks to that clunky armor he always wore.

On the left side of his body, he could see the edges of a soul mark. It was dark, contrasting against his pale skin.

Once he was close enough to touch the man, Kiba softly wrapped his fingers around Tobirama's forearm to push it up and away from his body. After a moment of resisting, Tobirama allowed it to be pushed up and allowed Kiba to see his soul mark.

The sight that met him had him almost bristling.

"What?! You get a snow leopard and I get a puppy!?"

He couldn't believe this. The mark on his skin was beyond badass and perfectly embodied Tobirama. The mark on _Tobirama,_ though, was an insult to Kiba's pride and ego!

The design was of a _puppy_ pouncing onto something that looked, oddly enough, like a small white toy. The dog was dark brown in color with black eyes and two very distinguishing triangle designs on its cheeks.

"I've been insulted by fate!"

~/~

Tobirama honestly did not understand why it was that Kiba was shouting at the high heavens. But he sounded beyond angered and it was kind of hilarious.

With an eyebrow quirked in curiosity, Tobirama glanced over at Kiba. The Inuzuka was pouting heavily and glaring at his left side.

"What are you shouting about, Kiba?"

The boy motioned at the mark on his side with a heavy huff, then crossed his arms over his chest in a show of petulant anger. "I'm shouting about how your portrayed as a super cool leopard and I'm stuck as a puppy! That stuff sticks, you know! I'll be a puppy in your mark for the rest of my life!"

Upon continuing to hear about this puppy nonsense, Tobirama could not help himself anymore. He decided that, if Kiba truly was his soulmate, then he'd completed his promise. And if he wasn't... Well, those chances were extremely slim now, weren't they?

When he looked down at his side, he finally understood why it was that Kiba was shouting so much. And he couldn't help but smile like an idiot.

How long had he spent denying Kiba possibly being his soulmate? How much time had he spent denying the boy and driving him away, instead of truly forming a bond with him? And all because he had refused to believe something that was; in his mind; unbelievable even though it seemed to be completely understandable to others.

The laugh that broke out from his lips was a mix of chagrin, disbelief, and complete amusement. He couldn't believe this was what his life had come to. Being soulmates with a _child_.

It was beyond unfair. What was he supposed to do with the rest of his life? Had he been brought back just to suffer through a life knowing that he would never be able to have a romantic relationship with his soulmate? Was he supposed to have found Kiba just to be content with being with him as a friend even though all he'd ever wanted was _something more_?

Tobirama should have known that Kiba was his soulmate the _moment_ he wasn't able to sense the Jinchuriki's unbelievably monstrous chakra or the Uchiha's tainted own while the Inuzuka was around. The only true explanation for him not having accurately sensed those two _extremely identifiable_ chakra signatures was that the Inuzuka's own took top priority.

He laughed for a long time. Laughing was the only thing he could do to keep himself from lashing out violently. It was a deep and heavy laugh that filled up the whole room they were inside.

And all Kiba did as he laughed was blink up at him in confusion.

"Tobirama... Are you okay?"

The man trained his eyes on the Inuzuka before swallowing down the _poison_ that had built up in his throat, then nodded.

"It's undeniable then, pup. You're my soulmate." Then he bent down to grab his shirt and pull it back on as he motioned for Kiba to grab his own clothes. "Would you like to go for some steak?"

The kid blinked at him in stupefaction, "But... What about today's training?"

"You've been working hard. Let's go out and celebrate me finally accepting you as my soulmate."

Luckily for him, Kiba was a rather predictable person. And upon hearing that he deserved it and he would be getting steak, the boy immediately took off to grab at his clothes to dress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a comment on here that got me thinking about how it would be if Kiba ended up not being Tobirama's soulmate. And it was a real intriguing idea. But I decided against it to instead continue with this rare pairing I have fallen in love with! Thank you guys, though, for all the of the support. And don't worry, there are about two to six more chapters to come (not sure how many yet.). I have more to write for these idiots!


	9. It Could Have Gone Better

The next few weeks were spent with Tobirama trying his best to adjust to his newest reality without hurting Kiba's feelings. In reality, all he wanted to do was hide in his room and not have to face the cruel reality that was having a soulmate that was almost two decades younger than him. But instead of being allowed to do so, the man was made to spend even more time with Kiba.

Apparently, having Tobirama vocally admit they were soulmates had changed something within the boy. Before, he would keep his distance when they were together out of respect for Tobirama. Now, though, he enjoyed touching the man whenever he could. It didn't matter what for, he just enjoyed being close to the man and being allowed to touch him.

Hugs were Tobirama's secret favorite. Whenever the boy gathered up the courage to wrap his arms around his waist or got onto the tips of his toes to be able to pull him down by his neck, the Second Hokage grumbled in distaste but allowed the embrace. He would never admit to it out loud, but he truly enjoyed it when Kiba gathered up his nerve and hugged him. Although this didn't happen too often.

After a month or two, the man decided that, even though he could not have a romantic relationship with the boy, there was no denying his feelings for him. He truly enjoyed spending time with the Inuzuka. The moments they spent together were moments he could cherish. And he knew for a fact that Kiba enjoyed these moments as well, for he sought him out constantly to be able to spend time together.

Besides, ever since his near death experience, Kiba had become such a good student that Tobirama barely grew frustrated with him during their time in lessons. The boy proved to be a quick study once he put his mind to something. And in the span of a few months had learned quite an arsenal of water release jutsu that could help him get out of many binds in the battlefield.

"Tobirama, look!"

The white haired man cast a lazy glance up to the tree tops, remaining seated on his tree stump for meditation.

"Kiba, get down from there!" Kurenai shouted from a few feet away, all the while Hinata and Shino looked up at their teammate in awe.

Kiba had decided it would be a good idea to use his knowledge in water release to form stilts of a kind from water. He was well above the tree lines, two long poles of water being the things he used to get himself up so high. Akamaru yipped happily as he tried to bite at a bird that flew too close, all the while Kiba smiled broadly at the people beneath him.

"Believe me when I tell you I can use water now, Aburame?"

The mentioned boy 'Hn'ed' with annoyance but said nothing else. Hinata congratulated her teammate on a job well done while Kurenai shouted at him to get down before he hurt himself.

Tobirama smiled softly and discreetly as Kiba began to walk around, hands placed proudly on his hips. "Seems that all that evil training worked for _something_ , huh, Akamaru?"

~/~

"K-Kiba kun?"

The Inuzuka turned to look at Hinata with a quirked eyebrow and an easy smile, "Yeah, Hinata?"

They were walking back to their homes from their training with Kurenai and Tobirama. Ever since they had gotten onto the same page about being soulmates, the Second Hokage had been helping out a bit with his teammates training. He offered meditation exercises and even once led Team 8 on a mission when Kurenai was called away on a mission of her own.

Kiba liked that Tobirama was now around even more than before. His chest always felt light and free. And he could tell that he was becoming stronger, even more than when his soulmate had chosen harsh training over encouraging words.

"Th-the S-second Ho-hokage..." The girl stuttered softly, all the while Kiba waited patiently for her to finish up with whatever she was saying.

Getting used to he stuttering had taken a while. And back when he and Tobirama had been having their issues, Kiba had, _regretfully_ , snapped at her quite a few times. But seeing how he was in a good mood nowadays, he just listened with patience instilled in him by harsh training and continuous reminders of propriety from Tobirama.

"He's around s-so often..."

"Yeah. It's cool, isn't it?" Kiba asked with a broad smile, Akamaru yipping from on top of his hood. "Not many kids can say they've been trained by one of the greatest ninjas of all time, right?"

Hinata looked at him with a rather vibrant red taking over her cheeks. Which was kind of weird, even for _her_. But the Inuzuka didn't comment on it and instead shrugged softly.

"Guess we're just lucky he thinks we're interesting enough to train, you know? I can tell we'll be ready for the next Chunin Exams with him teaching us so many different things!"

With his newfound knowledge of more than just his clan techniques, Kiba was more than sure he could take Naruto down if they ended up going head to head once more. Hell, he was sure he could beat just about _anyone_ with everything he had learned!

So ecstatic he was with his dreams of the future that he didn't notice the glance Shino and Hinata shared. Although, later on, he _did_ notice the slightly tense atmosphere among his friends. Although he couldn't understand _why_ they were so tense.

~/~

There was an odd phenomena occurring. And Tobirama was not sure how he was supposed to take it.

He had found himself brought to life for a whole year now. Yet his body had shown no signs of change. His hair had not grown an inch, nor had his nails. There were no lines on his face, even though he was sure he was supposed to have at least _a few_ frown lines because of his penchant for remaining with a strict frown whenever around most people.

(The only times he truly smiled where whenever Kiba was around. But he refused to admit that to anyone. He didn't need the Inuzuka becoming _even more_ comfortable with him.)

It had only been a year, though. Maybe he hadn't changed at all because he was still feeling the effects of the reanimation jutsu that had brought him back to life. The effects would most probably wear off in due time, though. And he'd grow old like he was supposed to. He just needed to be patient.

"We're ready for this, right, Akamaru?! Heck, we can complete this mission with our eyes closed if we wanted to!"

Even though a year had passed, Kiba was still as hyperactive as he had been when they had first met. At thirteen years old, the only thing that had truly changed was the fact that he was older and had better control of the jutsu he used. Aside from that, his teamwork with Akamaru was superb and the one with his teammates had improved greatly under his and Kurenai's joint tutelage. But when it came to maturity, Kiba was just about the same.

He had yet to be asked about the oddity that were his looks, but Tobirama guessed that was because nobody had truly taken note of them. If not that, then they were much too intimidated by who he was to question him openly about the oddity. Although his old student had alluded to it at one point, but not fully asked him if he himself had noticed this.

"What have I told you about having an ego much too big for your sandals, Inuzuka?" Tobirama frowned softly while Shino scoffed quietly.

"To keep it to myself." The Inuzuka replied with a toothy grin, then looked over at Hinata, "But you guys know this'll be an easy mission. We're just tracking down a bunch of no-names. We'll be _fine_."

In the back of his mind, Tobirama could feel the itch of something _not being fine_. Even though Hiruzen had promised him that he had checked out this mission and the sender himself, he found it odd that someone had sent specifically for Team 8 to complete this mission. And it was this one odd detail that made the white haired man worry about what hidden complications the would find along the way.

~/~

"You guys worry too much." Kiba sniffed at the air as he suppressed the urge to roll his eyes as Hinata murmured about something being off to her. "We know our targets, we know the scents, and we know their favorite places to hang out. This snatch and grab mission will be finished fast." Then he turned his face to smirk over at Tobirama, who was building the fire they would be using to cook up the fish he and Akamaru had caught earlier during the day. "We'll be back in Konoha before Lord Senju could even glare at us for supposed incompetence."

The white haired man glowered at the statement, but soon he lit the fire up and motioned for Hinata to step forward with the fish she and Shino had been cleaning.

"Once more I am on a mission with you in place of your sensei, Kiba. Which means I am your teacher for the time being. And while I admit that your enthusiasm is admirable, you can never be too sure of your own abilities on a mission." The man chided with an almost exasperated tone, "We will camp here for the night before resuming our travels. We should be in our destination within a day if we continue with the pace we have kept for the past week."

The words weren't harsh, but they weren't gentle either. They were caught in between that odd spot Tobirama only seemed to reach when speaking with him. This knowledge made the boy smirk softly, but he soon conceded and stopped talking about being sure they would be fine. He was sure they'd work things out pretty well. There was no reason to worry. But there was also no reason to get on his teammates nerves.

"You're welcome for the fish, though." He chuckled in pure mirth at the annoyed glare sent his way by his soulmate as he began to cook the fish, but said nothing more.

Instead he moved to sit on a log close to the fire, a too big for his coat Akamaru making his way onto his lap to get pet on the head. He made sure to not get too close to the man, keeping his distance to not give his teammates any reason to wonder about anything.

Even though they were on extremely good terms at this point, his friends didn't know who his true soulmate was. All they knew was that he had one that he would never admit to. Mostly this was because he didn't want his friends giving the Second Hokage strange looks or making him feel uncomfortable. But, in part, it was also because of the large age gap between them.

The library had become his third favorite place to spend his time in aside from the steak house and the forest. And with those texts came knowledge of just about anything that caught his eye. One of those things was a study into trying to understand soulmates. In recorded history, large age gaps like the one he and Tobirama had were virtually non-existent. He had only been able to find _three_ examples of soulmate bonds like these. And those were all in fictional stories thought up by writers long since dead.

It was unfair that his soulmate and him were so different. But they made really good friends. And Kiba wouldn't trade their awesome relationship for anything in the world.

~/~

The attack came as they slept.

Tobirama should have seen it coming, should have known there was something completely wrong as soon as he knew that some supposedly innocent civilians wanted Team 8's help to deal with the bandits attacking them. How could _civilians_ know which specific team to ask for if they didn't even know what kind of team they wanted? The Hokage himself had said that when they had come in, they weren't sure if they wanted a tracking team or a defensive one. Yet they knew they wanted the one with Kiba in it.

He had become complacent ever since he had been brought back to life. And if he lost any of the genin on this mission, it would rest heavily on his shoulders. And it seemed that he had not found their chakra signatures until it was too late and they had been attacked. Which he could not allow to happen ever again. He needed to find out why he hadn't sensed them sooner and he needed to do it as soon as possible. He could not allow this mistake to ever occur again.

"Shino, create a wall to protect yourself, Hinata, and Akamaru! Inuzuka, come here!" Tobirama barked out orders even as he fought off six skilled shinobi at the same time.

They wore no forehead protectors, weren't part of any Hidden Village. But they were extremely skilled and had gone split up according to their skill levels, six attacked him while two attacked the genin.

It was their great mistake that they underestimated the children to such exaggerated lengths.

The two that had been sent after them had been taken down quickly enough by Hinata, which prompted two more to come out of the trees to attack. From experience, he knew it was only a matter of time before more shinobi came out to deal with the kids. He could feel them up in the trees, waiting for the perfect moment to deliver a killing blow.

"Got it!" Kiba shouted as he swiped the legs from under one of the assailants, only to jump away as Hinata delivered a series of hurtful blows to precise tenketsu.

Once that attacker had been dealt with, Shino, Akamaru, and Hinata disappeared behind a giant ball comprised of Shino's Kikaichū.

He was more than sure that the three would be safe hidden inside while he and Kiba dealt with the attackers. So with a nod to the Inuzuka, the man jumped away from the shinobi that had been attacking him and towards him. Then, once together, they both went through the same flurry of hand signs, preparing for the joint attack Tobirama had created for moments like these.

"Water Release!" They both shouted together, then threw their arms out in a circular motion. Each drove a foot out, planted themselves firmly on the ground, then thrust their arms forward, "Water Fang Technique!"

Ever the tactician, Tobirama had made sure they were near a river before they set up camp. And now the river began to come to life, sharp, spinning spikes of water coming out to head in the direction of the enemy.

~/~

Just like Tobirama had told him when they first decided to create a combo attack, the shinobi they were fighting were about to run off to avoid the sharp spikes.

With a smirk, Kiba bent down low and went through another flurry of hand signs, then jutted his hands out in the direction of the river. "Leach Attachment Technique!" He practically sang in glee, proud to be able to see the things he had learned in action, then forced thin tendrils of water to shoot out of it and rocket off in the direction of the shinobi.

One by one the attackers found their legs and hands tied down by the tendrils. And one by one they screamed in panic, Tobirama's control over the overwhelming amount of spikes unbelievable as they ran through their targets.

One by one Kiba released the attackers after they had been hit by Tobirama's attack, allowing their bodies to drop onto the floor. And one by one the shinobi died, Tobirama and Kiba ruthless as they dispatched them.

But the fight wasn't over. Kiba could smell the other attackers up in the trees. And after a few seconds of their comrades having been killed, they jumped out to try and attack.

It didn't make sense that he had not been able to smell them before, and it irked him to oblivion that he hadn't found them before they had attacked. How they were able to get the drop on them was beyond him. But he couldn't really let that bother him too much at the moment. There were still some shinobi that they needed to deal with.

"Kiba!"

"On it!"

Lowering his hands to the floor, Kiba began to focus on water left behind from their joined attacks. Once he had a grasp on how much he could use, he looked over at Tobirama, smirked softly, and took off running. "It's enough!" He shouted as an afterthought, falling onto his four legged stance to charge at the enemy.

From behind him he could hear an exasperated huff coming from Tobirama. But he soon felt drops of water beginning to attach to him, a sign that the man was following through with the attack even though Kiba had been rather impulsive in beginning it.

"Water Release: Inuzuka Bullet!" He shouted out in pure glee, chorused by a much more somber sounding Tobirama, before he threw his body into a series of rotations that he normally would use with Akamaru.

As he spun, he felt more and more water latch onto his body. And soon enough, he could feel his body begin to be guided by Tobirama, running through every single one of the attackers that had decided to show their faces.

Joint attacks, he decided as he soared through the sky and impacted harshly against his enemies, were _awesome_. Especially with someone as skilled as Tobirama.

He cackled in pure glee as he suddenly was sent skyward, then had the water disperse from his body to float beside him. Then with a sharp whoop, the boy threw his hands out and accumulated the water beneath him to act as a stabilizing force for when he reached the ground below.

"Admit it, Lord Senju, we make a great team!"

The man did not seem as happy as Kiba was when he looked over in his direction and frowned heavily. "Your landing could have been much more stable; you risk damaging your knees with such a harsh touch down. The tendrils should have been thicker, a shinobi skilled enough could have escaped from those 'leaches' easily enough. And you should have waited to get confirmation from me before you began the Inuzuka Bullet."

The harsh words dampened Kiba's mood considerably. From behind him, he could hear Shino's insects begin to disperse, but he kept his attention on his soulmate.

"But-"

"Aside from that, you did a fine job considering this was an ambush and we were heavily out numbered."

For a second, Kiba remained stunned.

Had Tobirama just... He _had!_

A broad grin split the boy's face, then he took off running and jumped onto the Second Hokage, wrapping both his arms and legs around his body. "We make an _awesome team!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all liked it! There will most probably by three more time skips, just to bring the story into Shippuden age. Aside from that, I'm winging it as I go along! Thank you for all the love and support and don't forget to be awesome and review! And the Leach Attach Technique? Tobirama wanted something with more finesse, along with the Inuzuka Bullet. But Kiba came up with the ideas, so he named them. That's my story and I'm keeping to it.


	10. Importance of Communication

Tobirama didn't really like the fact that they had been attacked on their mission. But he had them all pushing forward to get to their destination, although Kiba wasn't completely sure why the man seemed so determined to get there.

As they ran through the trees, Kiba felt like he was being watched. And when he looked behind him, he found Shino glaring straight at him.

Why his best friend looked so murderous, Kiba wasn't sure. But he wanted to find out. So the Inuzuka slowed down enough that he and Shino were side by side, then asked, "What's wrong, Shino?"

Even though Shino was quiet and composed, Kiba truly considered him to be his second best friend. Even though he and Kankuro had a pretty good relationship, it didn't compare. Nobody would be able to beat out Sasuke, seeing how they'd _grown up together_ , but Shino was the second person the Inuzuka thought about when it came to best friends.

"We could have helped." The Aburame grunted, which made Kiba cock his head in confusion.

"Help?" He parroted, allowing curiosity to ebb into his voice, "What do you mean, dude?"

Shino's eyebrows drew in and Kiba suspected that the glare behind his glasses darkened. The Aburame remained quiet for a few minutes, which made Kiba truly begin to wonder what he had done wrong, but then spoke up with a tense voice.

"The Second Hokage just had Hinata and I stand behind protection. How are we supposed to be able to improve in our skills if we're not able to test them against enemies?"

From a few feet behind them, Kiba heard Akamaru yip in agreement. Hinata said nothing, but he would not be surprised if she also happened to agree with the other two.

The harsh words made Kiba frown, but he completely understood why they felt like this. The only real reason why he and Tobirama even had joint attacks was because they were soulmates and spent so much time training together. His friends, though, only had the jutsu they had learned from their clans, which they were supposed to excel at.

But how were they supposed to be sure they were doing well if they weren't allowed to test their skills on real enemies?

The adrenaline and excitement that had rushed through him in the middle of the battle had been exhilarating. Kiba had loved the feeling of finally being able to fight without abandon. But he had taken away the chance to feel that from his friends.

Still, it had been Tobirama to bark out the orders... He must have had a reason to have had his teammates defend themselves rather than fight.

"Maybe he was worried about you two getting injured." He ended up murmuring, glancing forward to find that Tobirama was running as swiftly as ever, sure enough that they would follow that he never glanced behind him. "He knows my fighting style much more than yours. And we were surrounded by a lot of baddies. Maybe he was worried that if something were to go wrong with you two unprotected, he would not be able to help out in time."

Shino's eyebrows were still drawn together and Akamaru was frowning at him. But Hinata's face softened just slightly, apparently the only one to have listened and internalized Kiba's words.

"I still wish to have fought."

~/~

Tobirama was more than aware that Shino, Hinata, and Akamaru were displeased with his actions during the ambush. But he did not think twice about it. Even though he was strong and more than capable of taking care of so many enemies, he did not want to run the risk of any of the kids getting injured.

He knew that all of Kiba's teammates were more than capable of taking care of themselves. But he also knew that, when caught in a battle against numerous enemies, there was great risk of injury. He personally knew all of Kiba's limits because of the training he had submitted the boy to. But even though he knew that Hinata and Shino were skillful, he did not know their limits. Nor did he know if they would be perceptive enough to notice when they should fight and when they should move away to not get hit by their own teammates' attacks.

An oversight he would have to fix up in the near future. Both the Aburame and Hyuga were extremely helpful when it came to battle. And it would be stupid of him to not try and help those two unlock their true potential.

But at the moment, he wanted to get to their destination to try and get some answers. The ambush had not been one of desperate missing nin or runaways trying to get supplies. It had been a planned attack with a specific end game in sight.

He never should have allowed this team to accept the mission. He had known from the beginning, but he had been enough of a fool to accept it.

Once they were much closer to the town of their destination, Tobirama decided the genin could stop and rest. They were now only a few hours away and he was much closer to getting answers than he had been before.

"We set up camp here." He barked out, then motioned for Hinata and Shino. "Come here. I wish to speak to you." Then he looked over at Kiba, "Begin a fire."

Both genin looked at each other uncertainly before they walked towards Tobirama, all the while Kiba began to work on the fire.

The man led both genin towards the nearby stream, then began to form a spike of water similar to the ones he had used during battle, but much smaller.

"Even though water is a liquid and could be considered harmless, in the hands of a true master, it can be one of the deadliest weapons known to man." He began, turning the small spike around before allowing it to fall back into the water. "I had you remain behind cover during the battle out of worry for your safety." He looked both genin over to make sure they were listening, then pointed over at Kiba.

The boy was currently chasing after Akamaru on all fours, sticks in his mouth, all the while Akamaru threw more in his direction.

"Kiba is still learning water release. He is still learning how to work with partners that aren't canine. And because of this, he is dangerous to be around."

Hinata's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the admittance and the Aburame shifted slightly. Because of this, Tobirama was more than sure that they were paying attention to him.

"Anything could have gone wrong in that ambush. He may have lost control of his jutsu. It could have been sent hurtling towards you. Or, worse yet, you may have gotten in the way and gotten yourselves hurt." His tone was harsh, but they needed to hear this before they continued to sulk. "I will tell Kurenai that you three need to run teamwork drills; more than what you have done. I want to see you three working as a cohesive unit that doesn't need to shout to be able to communicate. You two are more than capable as individuals, but I need you to have that same capability as part of something greater."

Both genin thought over his words for a moment. Then the Aburame asked, straightforward as what Tobirama had expected of his clan, "If Kiba is so dangerous, why would you risk him hurting himself tonight?"

"Do you want the honest answer?" Tobirama asked him, only to receive a nod. "I needed to make sure he was learning _something_."

~/~

When they got to their destination, they did not find the civilians they were supposed to help. Instead, they found an abandoned farm that seemed to not have been used in quite a long time.

Kiba had not seen Tobirama frowning that heavily in a long time. It bothered him to see his soulmate so worried. But he didn't say anything and instead allowed the man to gather his thoughts, Hinata and Shino standing to either of his side as they too waited.

"It seems we were set up." The man spoke up after a while, which made all of the kids look at one another.

 _Set up_? Why?

"We will return to Konoha immediately. Faster than we were traveling." The man's voice left no room for discussion. And he soon turned to them, glaring at them with worry clear on his face. "We leave _now_."

Kiba didn't tell him they were too tired to move. He didn't even ask if they could have a water break. Instead he nodded and jumped onto the nearest tree branch, prompting his friends to follow him.

If Tobirama was reacting in this manner, he must have had a reason to worry. And even though Kiba wasn't the sharpest kunai in the pouch, he was more than smart enough to know when to keep his mouth shut and follow orders.

~/~

Hiruzen apologized profusely to all of them once they had returned to Konoha and told him of what had happened.

"I believed this would have been a good village to continue your momentum in successful missions." His old student admitted, then looked at Tobirama. "But you were ambushed?"

Tobirama nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Ninja without a village. Mercenaries, most probably." He told him, then admitted, "What I cannot understand is what a group like that could possibly want with a team of _genin_."

Sarutobi immediately agreed. It was odd that out of all the ninja in Konoha, it had been genin that had been set up. But he soon congratulated them all on following orders and staying alive even against such dangerous adversaries, before sending the kids off.

Tobirama hung around the office as the genin shuffled off, then turned to his old student once the door had shut behind them all.

"Something is more than just _odd_ about that mission, Hiruzen."

"I am aware..." The aged man agreed, taking out his pipe to begin to smoke. "It is odd that they targeted Team 8. Sure, they are all clan heirs, but... Well, the only clan that has a history of always getting targeted are the Hyuga. But not the Inuzuka or Aburame."

"I thought you had said they had specifically asked for Kiba?"

"For an Inuzuka genin that wouldn't cost them too much." Puffs of smoke began to come out of the man's mouth as his eyes narrowed in thought, "Which means they must have wanted something to do with _Kiba_. There aren't that many Inuzuka genin running around after all."

This whole situation had a foul air around it. And Tobirama did not like that at all.

"I should have noticed the oddity that was..." Hiruzen admitted, eyes closing as he leaned back against his chair. "I must be losing my sharpness in my old age."

The jab at himself at least had Tobirama smirking softly, "Maybe it is time for a successor, my old student."

No further words were exchanged after this. Although Tobirama did note the thoughtful look on his old student before he excused himself.

~/~

"Well? What do you think, Lord Senju?"

Kiba huffed heavily as sweat poured down his face, doing his best to stay standing straight after running through the final repetition of the team attack Tobirama had created for them. Hinata and Shino were standing to either of his sides, a bit more composed in their panting, but still showing clear signs of exhaustion. Akamaru was thrown on the floor, tongue rolled out of his mouth as he breathed in and out heavily and speedily.

Kurenai and Tobirama stood by the edge of the training grounds, eyeing the teens critically. The woman was holding in a smile, for she was proud of how well her team had taken the team training Tobirama had instilled. The man, though, was hard to read, like always.

After a few moments of looking the genin over, Tobirama nodded his approval, "This attack is ready. They have mastered it well in practice."

"Whoo-hoo!" Kiba jumped up into the air with that shout, "Finally! After half a year of this shit!"

"Kiba!" Kurenai made to scold, but Tobirama merely raised his hand to stop her. "It is alright, Kurenai. Let Kiba celebrate... Let those _three_ celebrate. They deserve it."

The Inuzuka smiled broadly at his words, then jumped onto Shino, pulling Hinata in for a hug. "We just got approved by the Second Hokage. Guys, we are _awesome_!"

Both of his more reserved teammates tensed up at the sudden contact, but soon melted into the hug and just accepted it. Then, once Akamaru had regained his breath, the dog jumped into the fray, licking at all of them with happy barks.

They had just gotten approved by Tobirama. _Finally_ the man would trust them with more than just in or near village C-Ranks.

~/~

He had to admit that it felt good to finally have Team 8 working cohesively. In this final repetition of the attack he had created, they had not needed to shout at each other to alert one another to their position. They had _known_ were one another was. And that was exactly what Tobirama wanted for them to do all of the time while on missions.

Team 8 was a team formed to stay together once they reached chunin rank. Their unique abilities worked so well together that it would be stupid to separate them for good once they'd said goodbye to their genin rank. And Tobirama was proud to say that they were one step closer to being a completely successful and flawless as a cohesive unit.

Once they were finished celebrating in the training grounds, Kiba asked if they would be able to go out for some food. And when he looked at those hopeful and bright brown eyes that _begged_ him to take them out, Tobirama couldn't help himself. He agreed to treating the genin after a hard day's work.

They didn't go to Kiba's favorite steak place. Instead the Inuzuka led them to Tobirama's favorite fish stand, something the man really appreciated.

When they had finished eating, the team disbanded and went their own ways. Kurenai went back to her apartment and Shino accompanied Hinata back to her clan's compound to make sure she wouldn't get in trouble for coming back too late in the night. Tobirama and Kiba walked quietly over to Tobirama's apartment, Akamaru following contentedly behind them.

After spending some time living in the Hokage compound, Tobirama had decided to move out. He did not enjoy all of the memories living there brought back and had more than enough money to keep himself afloat. So he'd moved out and gotten a place of his own, a place Kiba had made his own in no time. Seriously... It was more Kiba's apartment than Tobirama's at this point.

"Hey, Tobirama..."

The man mentioned quirked an eyebrow as they stepped through the door, wondering why Kiba's mood had changed so suddenly. He had been happy while they were still out eating. But now he sounded somewhat somber, thoughtful.

He'd come to know that whenever Kiba got to thinking, it was usually about things he didn't want others to know. Things that would make him sound smart rather than dumb. And for some odd reason, the boy preferred his friends thinking him stupid rather than intelligent.

"Yes, Inuzuka?"

The boy shuffled into his home, but didn't throw himself onto his couch like he would normally do. Instead he turned to look at Tobirama, waiting for him to shut the door behind them before speaking.

"Would you mind if I told my friends that you're my soulmate?"

The question stunned Tobirama... Then the man blinked over at Kiba and asked, "Why would you think I mind?"

"B-because you're... I mean..." Kiba's lips pursed as his face scrunched up in thought, then he shook his head with a sigh. "Just forget it... I think I'm going home tonight rather than spending the night."

The whole situation felt weird. There was something off about Kiba. But Tobirama decided to just let the boy walk away rather than stop him. It looked as if he needed some time to himself.

"Good night, Inuzuka." He muttered as he opened the door, then narrowed his eyes just slightly. "Are you alright?"

The boy avoided eye contact completely as he answered, "Yeah... I'll, uh... See you later, Tobirama."


	11. Finally They Talk

Kiba began to act strangely after that one question. And Tobirama immediately understood that it must have been because of something to do with him and his friends.

The boy didn't skip out on training and he followed all of Tobirama's orders, but there was something odd about the way he went through the motions. The passion that was clear to see in everything the Inuzuka did was not there anymore. And he didn't go out of his way to spend time with Tobirama.

This, of course, worried the Second Hokage. But he decided to give the teen some time to relax and cool down, to take a breather from whatever it was that was bothering him. For an annoyed Kiba was liable to do something that they might both regret later on.

The course of action he decided on did not work too well. Even though nothing worsened, things did not get better either. Kiba continued to be distant. And it was beginning to worry the man. His soulmate was not the kind to be so quiet and peaceful. There must have been something very off with the boy to turn down even a chance to trap Izumo and Kotetsu in their own stupidity with the man's help.

He had to do something. These two weeks without Kiba's smile had been unbearable. And even though Tobirama was loath to admit it, he wanted the annoying and hyperactive Kiba back.

Tobirama had never been one for conversation. He enjoyed silence and peace. Piecing things together to solve a mystery without having to ask for help was his creed. Why would he _ask_ when he could just figure things out?

Then again, everyone he had ever met that cared about him in any way insisted that the one way to get to the bottom of someone's odd behavior was as simple as just _asking them_.

Keeping quiet and allowing things to go on their own had not worked out. Kiba was still sulking and Tobirama didn't know how to make things better. So how much would it really hurt if he just asked the boy what was wrong?

~/~

Sasuke and Ino were trying to get him to talk about his soulmate again. For the past few weeks, they'd been doing the same, putting pressure on Kiba recently after he'd slipped up.

It had been an honest mistake. Their group of friends had been talking about all of their future plans with their respective soulmates and Sasuke had asked what Kiba wanted to do with his own. Kiba, lulled into a complacent and peaceful state with the easy conversation that flowed, had answered.

"Getting him to see me as more than just a kid would be a good start... I guess I kinda like him as more than just a friend."

Tobirama was a very handsome man. And, even with the hard ass act, he was a man that really cared for the village and its people. Kiba knew for a fact that he could be one of the sweetest people on the planet because he had seen it first hand. Which was kind of the reason why he wondered if he maybe, one day, could be more to the man than just a kid he taught that happened to be his soulmate.

Sasuke and Ino immediately jumped at the chance to learn about Kiba's soulmate. Kiba regretted having spoken the very second the last words left his mouth. And Akamaru just barked, asking to get some more food from the humans that were ignoring him.

After that, they had continued to hound him without any kind of mercy. Now that they knew a bit about Kiba and his soulmate's relationship, they wanted to know everything possible. If Sasuke had been bad before, now that he had Ino helping him out, he was almost unbearable.

They were the reason Kiba wasn't feeling all that good for the past few weeks. And the fact that Tobirama must have only seen him as a friend and student certainly didn't help brighten up his darkened mood.

"Yo, Kiba, there's-"

"No! Goddammit!" Kiba finally shouted out in anger, baring his canines at the suddenly surprised genin. "I will _not_ tell you about my soulmate! No, I don't give a damn about your feelings or friendship or whatever new excuse you want to use now! I. Don't. Care!"

All of his friends were surprised to hear him shout so suddenly. If he was being honest, it must have come as a surprise to them. They had just been having a good time eating lunch when Kiba's thoughts had soured and he'd shouted.

Silence pierced through the once jolly air that had filled their table. Kiba glared at Sasuke as the Uchiha stared back at him with wide eyes. Then there was the clearing of a throat, one which made Kiba wince and freeze up.

The scent that filled his nose up made his heart swell in happiness. But it also caused him to wither, knowing that he'd most probably reacted over the wrong thing and shouted at all of his friends for almost no reason.

"Kiba... Are you feeling alright?"

He just wanted the ground to swallow him up.

~/~

When Tobirama went to the ramen shop he knew Kiba's group of friends frequented, he did so with his course of action clear in his mind. He wished to speak with Kiba and wanted to do it as fast as possible to be able to get the real Kiba back.

He had expected to find a bunch of genin and chunin united, shirking their duty as shinobi to have some fun. And he had expected to find Kiba and Akamaru busy feasting and reluctant to let go of their food.

He had _not_ expected to find Kiba glaring and snarling as if he were a cornered animal. And he certainly did not expect to hear him shout about not wanting to speak about his soulmate.

As soon as he heard the Inuzuka scream that out, Tobirama felt guilty. He didn't have to talk to the kid to know that this was the problem that had been eating away at him this whole time. Soulmates... Why hadn't he been able to see this before? Of course the kid was being affected by their relationship. How could he not when they had such a huge age gap? There was no telling how much this could truly hurt someone, knowing that they would be forever separated, even though they were meant to be together.

The boy was extremely angered. There was no doubt about it. But after Tobirama had made his presence known, it had evaporated and the boy looked as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. The Inuzuka looked mortified to have screamed out with Tobirama so near him. And, for some reason beyond him, this bothered the white haired man.

"Uh... Yeah... I'm good, Lord Senju."

The boy's cheeks lit up as he looked away from Tobirama, an adorable blush taking over. There was no doubt about it. The kid was cute.

Quirking an eyebrow at the answer, the man looked over all of the kids together at the table. They were all mostly surprised to see him appear, even though Hinata and Shino were more worried than surprised. Those two were so accustomed to having him around that they most not be too affected by seeing him anymore.

The white haired man crossed his arms over his chest as he looked over the Uchiha and Yamanaka, the ones he knew for a fact were giving Kiba the hardest time when it came to his soulmate, then looked back at Kiba.

"I have need of you. Come along."

The boy hurried to get out of his chair and follow after Tobirama, seeing how the man turned around and walked away without waiting for him.

Tobirama led him away from the ramen stand and towards his apartment. Even though it wasn't close by, it would give the kid some time to calm down and get his thoughts together.

When they reached the apartment, Tobirama held the door open for the kid. Akamaru bounded in without needing to be told, more than happy to use the couch for his own pleasure. Even though Kiba hesitated at the threshold, looking into the apartment with worry clear on his face.

"Uh... Lord Senju?"

"You're not in trouble, kid." The man smiled softly, "I just want to talk."

~/~

Tobirama's voice was soft and calming. And his smile was relaxed, looking nothing like the tense frown the man would wear whenever he was angry or annoyed.

There really wasn't much reason to believe that Tobirama was angry. But Kiba had shouted out pretty loudly in the middle of a pretty public place... He did have a right to be irritated with him.

"You haven't been yourself lately and it's got me kind of worried." The red eyed man wrapped his right arm around Kiba's shoulder as he spoke, bringing him into the apartment and over to the couch.

Akamaru looked up at them from his comfortable spot, but soon huffed and jumped off so the humans could sit down. Tobirama sat himself down on one side of the couch, then Kiba followed. The man's arm was still around Kiba's shoulders, but loose, as if meant to comfort and not hold.

Kiba kept his gaze on his hands as they fidgeted on his lap, unsure of what to do. He knew he had been acting differently. But he had hoped that if he continued to follow all of Tobirama's orders without too much hassle, the man wouldn't ask him about his changes.

He wanted Tobirama to see him as more than just a kid. He didn't want to live the rest of his life without his soulmate romantically involved with him. And he wanted to at least have the chance to prove himself as a good partner before the man struck him down as only a student for good.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He did. He really _did_... Why wasn't he talking?

Taking in a deep breath, Kiba decided that if Tobirama wanted to talk, now was the time. "I... I like you, Lord Senju."

There was a momentary flash of confusion before the man smiled, "I like you as well, Kiba."

Tobirama was being condescending, and Kiba knew he wasn't aware of this. This caused the boy to let out a small huff of frustration and turn to look the man square in the eyes.

"Tobirama... _I. Like. You._ "

Once more confusion flashed inside of those red eyes. Then, "Kiba... You are-"

"I know I'm a kid!" The Inuzuka interrupted immediately, "But it's not fair for me to be your soulmate and not treated like I am it! I want to be able to tell my friends you're my soulmate! And I want to be able to think that, maybe, in the future, there's some hope for us to be more than just an old guy teaching a young guy some water style jutsu!"

~/~

Kiba shouting was nothing new. Kiba being overly passionate about his feelings wasn't either. But for Tobirama to hear the boy admitting to wanting more out of him... Well... Tobirama knew this was a possibility, he just wasn't prepared to fully internalize it.

"But, Kiba... You are merely thirteen..."

It hurt Tobirama to admit this. But the sooner he made this clear, the sooner they would both be able to live their lives like they should. The gap between them was too vast to overcome. And even though Tobirama never even wanted to think about this, there would come a time when he would die again. And Kiba would be left without his soulmate with him, no matter how much it hurt.

If they were to form any kind of deeper relationship, Kiba would only be hurt even more than he would if they kept their relationship the way it was.

"I know I'm a kid!" He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "But we're soulmates. And you're hot."

Tobirama quirked an eyebrow at this admission, "Hot?"

The kid's cheeks brightened up once more, but he soon glared and puffed out his cheeks. "Yeah, you are. And I know that nothing's going to change, but... Technically, I'm an adult. You wouldn't be breaking any laws. We'd be fine."

The eagerness in Kiba's voice made Tobirama smile. But that soon turned sad and he tightened his arm around the kid, bringing him in, closer to his side.

"I don't want to give you fake hope... And I wish for you to live your life like a normal person, explore the many options out there. You aren't bound wholly to your soulmate."

"I know-"

Tobirama, in a move that so much like something Hashirama would do that it somewhat stung, placed his hand over Kiba's mouth to stop him from talking. Then, with grief and guilt gnawing at him, he told the boy, "But I won't push you away either... Nothing will happen between you and I until you are mature... But I will not turn you away either."

~/~

Kiba had been prepared to put up a fight. But it seemed that all of the fiery spirit he had come to expect in Tobirama had left the man.

He looked kind of sad... But kind of happy as well... That didn't make any sense.

But Kiba could feel happiness begin to bubble up in him as he processed the man's words.

"So... You're saying that..."

"Who knows what the future entails?"

Looking up into the man's red eyes, Kiba could see that Tobirama was not completely elated with what he was saying. The Inuzuka could tell that there were a lot of conflicting emotions and thoughts inside of the man. But there was also a hopeful kind of glint that could be seen, and that made Kiba smile broadly.

"You know what?" He murmured, bringing his arms around Tobirama's waist to hug him. "I don't think I'll tell my friends about you just yet... I kind of like keeping them on edge."


	12. Separation Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Having Tobirama as a soulmate had its ups and downs; its pros and cons.

Pro: One of the greatest shinobi to ever live was his soulmate.

Con: One of the greatest shinobi to ever live was his soulmate.

Tobirama was a tough teacher. He made it clear that he had never given the Third Hokage any kind of ease in their training, and the man had gone far in his life. The easy way out was non-existent when the man was around, there was only hard work and perseverance.

Most days, Kiba could deal with this. After that one phase of his in which Tobirama just about beat him into submission, there wasn't much the man could do to tire Kiba out. Sure, he would get tired after training and need to sleep. But he had never felt the same amount of _bone tired_ as he had when the man had worked him with that _evil_ armor.

(Kiba still refused to wear any kind of armor that didn't fit below his shirt. Tsume found this stupid, but didn't say anything, seeing how she knew that the person blamed for this wasn't someone she should get into a fight with.)

(Even though Tsume would never back down from a fight if she needed to.)

His team, though, after two years of having Tobirama acting as a second sensei, still wasn't completely accustomed to his harsh drills.

"One more time." Tobirama grunted with his arms crossed over his chest, glare promising impending doom if they didn't perform as best as they could. "Aburame, your taijutsu still needs work. Hyūga, Inuzuka, did I not ask you to help your teammate with this?"

Kiba glared at the man who was more than aware of all of the time Team 8 had spent together trying to help each other with their weaknesses. But instead of answering, the fourteen year old merely dropped onto his hands and feet, preparing for the final run of this training technique.

Tobirama had said that he had used this to help the Third and his team train. A simple yet difficult exercise that could only be perfected through repetition and complete teamwork. They were to help one another climb up the largest tree in the area without using branches or walking up the tree to be able to grab at a simple feather. They could only use chakra on their hands to grab and on their feet to use as footholds. The purpose was to make a sort of chain of teammates and continually push one another up until they reached the top.

Problem was that, even though the exercise was hard enough, Tobirama added water clones attacking them as an extra challenge.

For Kiba and Hinata, it was simple enough to deflect the water clones. But the man had forbidden clan jutsu, which meant that, even though they were able to use many of the attacks they knew, just without any kind of augmentation, Shino was left at sea. He'd gotten better at using his body over the years, but this kind of exercise was just too out of his depth. And this made Tobirama run them ragged.

Once more Team 8 ran the drill, and once more Shino failed to properly make up for his lack of bugs. All three teens were sent tumbling down the large tree, falling into a heap of gangly limbs and disappointment.

From beneath Hinata's back and above Shino's arm, Kiba cracked one eye open to look over at Tobirama. The white haired man was frowning softly at them, weariness etched into his features.

"Aburame, I believe it is time we had some one on one time for taijutsu lessons." The man walked up to the three genin with stern features, but still offered Hinata a hand to get up from both of her friends. "Hinata, I wish for you and Kiba to review your lessons on genjutsu. I believe your teacher would be proud to come back and find your skill level in her area of experience has improved."

After the Hyūga was up, Tobirama pulled Kiba up. Then he picked Akamaru off of Shino's legs before finally helping the spectacled teen up.

When Kiba turned to Shino, he found that his friend actually looked kind of excited- well, as excited as an Aburame could seem. But it would make sense, seeing how he'd finally get some time to learn from a living legend.

~/~

Team 8's learning was important for Tobirama. This would be the second team of genin he'd had any kind of say in when it came to teachings, and he took full of advantage of finally teaching again.

In all honesty, he had always enjoyed teaching younger generations. Unlike other shinobi, who found having a genin team under them to be annoying and a complete waste of time, the Second Hokage found that this was the best way to ensure the safety of Konoha once handed over to the younger generations.

Kiba was a quick study, even with how stubborn he could get. As long as the lesson interested him, the kid threw himself into learning and proved to be proficient with many different styles of attack. If it didn't interest him, teaching became more difficult. But by now, Tobirama knew how to manipulate Kiba into thinking that he was enjoying learning.

Having spent so long working with his soulmate, Tobirama had allowed Shino's taijutsu to continue being underwhelming and Hinata's courage to be lacking.

Now that Kiba was finally in a stable place, learning steadily and keeping in touch with all of his skills, Tobirama believed it was about time he gave some of his help to the other members of Team 8. He was sure that Kurenai wouldn't mind if he built up on the foundation she had already laid down.

"Should we wait up for you, sir?"

Kiba stood in the same place Tobirama had left him, eyes glinting with curiosity.

Undoubtedly, he would find it somewhat weird for Tobirama to be taking Shino under his wing after two years of working with Team 8. But, really, Tobirama thought that it was only a matter of time before he worked on the kids' weaknesses.

He was just taking full advantage of the chance now that Kurenai was off on an important mission with Kakashi and Asuma.

"If you wish." Shino answered levelly, not even turning a glance to Tobirama to make sure that the man agreed with the decision. "We could meet after our individual exercises and go get something to eat before returning to our homes."

Kiba offered a smirk with a steady nod, all the while Hinata offered a small nod. Akamaru barked happily, undoubtedly ecstatic to hear that he would be able to go out and eat once his master had finished learning. For once, he wouldn't have to get tired along with Kiba to get food.

"A-are you a-alright with that, L-lord Senju?"

Even after having known her for a good two years, Hinata stuttered around him. Much less than in the beginning, and at least her face didn't redden whenever she had to address him anymore... But he really would need to talk to Kurenai to see what they would be doing for the girl to gain even more assurance within herself.

"Of course, Hinata." Tobirama nodded easily, then motioned for them both to run off. "We shall meet again in two hours, yes?"

"Yeah!" Kiba jumped suddenly, turning on his heel to grab Hinata's wrist, "Let's go, Hyūga! We got to get this genjutsu thing down to make Kurenai Sensei proud of us!"

He then took off running without waiting for Hinata's response, making Tobirama smile softly at his enthusiasm.

Kiba was quite the character.

~/~

After quite a bit of months spent working on their weaknesses, Kurenai believed that she and Tobirama had done an excellent job in getting Team 8 ready for the next Chunin Exams.

Seeing how none of them had passed the first one because of obvious complications (Kiba still hadn't forgiven Naruto for playing it so dirty), they were all just training and waiting to be nominated again.

At fourteen years of age, Kiba could not wait to finally get promoted to chunin. He wanted to go on more high risks missions, prove himself to Tobirama. By showing that he was more than capable as a shinobi, then maybe the man would start to believe that he could actually grow and mature. And if he began to believe that, then maybe their relationship would be able to evolve.

They were good as friends, as teacher and student. But Kiba knew they could be so much better if given the chance to be _more_.

After the whole fiasco a year ago with the sudden ambush, Tobirama had been somewhat wary about sending them off on missions on their own. But Konoha's numbers were going to bolster suddenly, the Hokage had to work with the shinobi he already had. So no matter what his old teacher might say, the Third Hokage had to continue sending competent teams out into battle.

"To the Land of Wind, over to our allies in Suna." The aged man murmured as Kurenai looked over the pages of the assignment Team 8 was to be sent on. "It is to deliver a simple message, nothing too difficult, nor too dangerous."

Tobirama wasn't with them at the moment. As the unofficially, official second sensei to Team 8, he had wanted to be in as many mission briefings as he could. But apparently, right now, there was a more pressing matter for him to tend to.

For the first time since the man had been revived, Team 8 would be heading off on a mission without any kind of adult with them.

Kiba couldn't wait to show his stuff.

"Kankuro-kun should be happy to s-see you again." Hinata murmured softly, barely audible enough for anybody but Kiba to hear.

The observation had Kiba blushing slightly, but he soon turned a smile onto her and nodded. She'd only stuttered _once_ in her sentence. An amazing improvement from their first days getting to know one another.

It would be fun to see Kankuro again. Just like it would be fun to be trusted to go off on a mission with only his team.

"When do we head out?"

~/~

Orochimaru's tracks weren't easy to find. But when Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai had been able to find traces of him, Tobirama had been contacted to be able to chase after his student's wayward protege.

He left the village with Kakashi and Asuma in tow with complete assurance that Team 8 would be prepared for anything Sarutobi wound up throwing their way. They were all ready for missions. Even though he wasn't sure if _he_ was ready to deal with any consequences that may come from him having decided to finally let them fly on their own.

Getting to Orochimaru had not been easy. Days were spent finding his tracks once more, weeks passed as they followed them, and before they knew it, months had raced past them by the time they reached the man's lair.

Tobirama had expected an honest to kami brawl, like the one he had witnessed and partaken in when he'd first met his soulmate. What he'd found, though, had left him reeling in empathy and sadness. A dark and damp cave with barely any lighting, food, or hygienic conditions. For someone to live in there must have been pure hell.

Orochimaru just wanted to die. He no longer had followers, they had left him after his failed attack on Konoha. He no longer had a proper way to fight, his arms had been taken by his old teacher. And he had no soulmate because he had never found his own.

In his eyes, there was no reason to continue living.

In Tobirama's eyes, he deserved to be brought back to Konoha for a proper trial to pay for his crimes.

The man had been easy to take, he had not put up any kind of fight. His arms hung limply to his sides, unable to be used in any scenario. And his legs dragged as he walked, looking very much like a dead man walking.

As he had looked upon Orochimaru, all Tobirama had felt was harsh judgement. How could a student ever turn against their master? How could one ever allow jealousy to eat at them until there was such a shell left? He would never be able to understand.

His mood towards the man changed, though, when his eyes happened to fall on the beginnings of what he could only think was a soul mark. His clothes were tatters that barely clung to his malnourished body, allowed for much skin to be seen. And with each sway of the traitor's body, Tobirama was allowed a clearer picture of the mark on the man's back.

Purple paint etched into Kabuki designs. Wooden limbs with dangerous weapons. _Kankuro_.

There was no doubt in Tobirama's mind as to who the traitor's soulmate was. There was no denying it. Just like there was no denying his own soulmate being one annoying Inuzuka mutt.

"Hatake." Tobirama called, making the man turn to him from his place walking in front of Orochimaru. "Hand me one of the blankets."

It wasn't right for the man's soul mark to be on display like it was. This was a private thing, not meant for anyone's eyes other than the man's own soulmate.

The last member of the Hatake Clan looked at Tobirama with a questioning glint in his eye, but still did as told. Once Tobirama had the blanket with him, he wrapped it over Orochimaru's shoulders, effectively covering up the soul mark. And then he clasped the blanket to ensure that it wouldn't fall off the man's shoulders.

"Let's get going."

Both Asuma and Kakashi offered curious glances and contemplative silence as his answer. And Tobirama could not help but curse the fact that he had seen the soul mark.

It made Orochimaru actually seem human. If only marginally... But it still made him seem like less of a monster, and more of a victim of unfair circumstances.

~/~

They had managed to keep up steady correspondence after Team 8 had returned from their easy mission in Suna. Kankuro and Kiba enjoyed writing to one another, talking about anything they could while ribbing endlessly on one another.

It had been a few months since Kiba had last seen Tobirama. He missed the man. And sometimes his side would begin to burn at the most random of times, like when he was bathing or when he was eating breakfast. But, unlike before, the burn was a very much welcome visitor. It allowed the boy to know that, wherever he was, Tobirama was thinking about him.

He wondered if Tobirama's own side began to burn whenever the ache in Kiba's chest became too much to ignore and he wound up wondering about the man.

After a few letters that said almost nothing but stupid things, Kiba and Kankuro began to make plans for the puppeteer to come and visit Konoha. He was tired of the sand and his sister, even though he was proud of all of the progress his little brother had been making. He loved his home, but he needed a change of scenery.

Kiba begged Lord Hokage to give Kankuro permission to be some kind of delegate on a mission from Suna. And after a few failed attempts, one promise of behaving on his next mission briefing, and one guilt trip about Tobirama's absence later, Kankuro was permitted to visit Konoha as a friendly relations ambassador.

The Inuzuka thought it ironic to give the crude teen such a name, but didn't say much about it. Instead he prepared for the visit, eager to do as much as possible once his friend arrived.

Hinata helped him come up with a few ideas of what they could do and Shino promised to not scare the puppeteer _too much_ (Kankuro had been deathly afraid of bugs ever since the Chunin Exams, for some reason). And Sasuke and Ino, after much heckling, finally promised to not ruin his life by digging too much into his life and finding things they shouldn't.

Seriously, sometimes his friends were more trouble than they were worth. But Kiba still (for some reason beyond him) loved them.

The day Kankuro arrived, Kiba waited for him at the Village Gates with barely contained energy and an excited Akamaru waiting with him. Hinata and Naruto were with him as well, having shirked their current duties to welcome the ambassador from the Sand.

Kankuro walked up to them with a pleased smirk on his face, two heavy scrolls on his back, and a bag of delicious peanut butter cookies in his hands. One thing that few knew about him was that he enjoyed cooking, even though his siblings hated it. He had changed from his genin days, although Kiba and Hinata had already seen his change in wardrobe when they had visited Suna.

Kiba and Akamaru wasted no time in scarfing the treats down. And while they did this, Naruto kept Kankuro busy with promises of awesome spars when they got the chance. Hinata ate the cookies that Kiba allowed her to take, thanked Kankuro in her quiet way, and blushed when the boy hugged her tightly and ruffled her hair.

Apparently, Kankuro enjoyed being around her. She was so much unlike his own sister that he actually liked her.

"Hey, kid, wanna be nice and give me a cookie?"

"Buzz off, Hagane!" Kiba rolled his eyes as Kotetsu began to laugh at his possessiveness over his cookies, but soon froze when a new scent entered his nose.

His chest warmed, his heart began to beat wildly, and his side began to burn in the best way possible.

 _Tobirama_.

~/~

Their mission ended after four months. Kakashi, Asuma, and Tobirama returned to Konoha with their mission complete and successful, the traitor known as Orochimaru in their custody.

The men walked up to the main gates of their home without too much hesitation, more than aware that ANBU had begun to follow them two days ago. If Orochimaru had not planned on doing anything before, he certainly wouldn't now that there was no form of escape.

Tobirama sensed Kiba before he saw him. For a second, all he could think about was the Inuzuka soulmate he had left behind without a single explanation as to where he was going. And for that one blissful second, Tobirama felt light and prepared to wrap his arms around his soulmate.

Next he felt Hinata, Naruto, and Akamaru near the boy, with Kotetsu and Izumo seated at their posts at the Village Gates.

Then he felt Kankuro... What was he doing here?

There was a voice in the back of his head that told him that he should do everything possible to keep Kankuro as far from Orochimaru as possible. He may be wrong in thinking that the two could be soulmates, but it wouldn't hurt to never truly find out. But a stronger voice told him it was unfair to keep soulmates from meeting, no matter how despicable one half of the whole truly was.

With his shoulders squared and determination clear in his eyes, Tobirama marched Orochimaru straight to the Village Gates.

Kiba was the first person he saw. And in a single second, he found gangly, still not completely matured arms wrapped around his neck while sturdy legs grabbed onto his waist. The Inuzuka clung tightly to him, like a cub to a mother, then offered him a blinding smile.

"Am I glad to see you again, old man!"

In that moment, the first time Tobirama had seen his soulmate after months of separation, there was no one but _him_. In the exact moment Kiba smiled up at him, shining like the sun, there was no one else on the world with them. There was just Kiba and him and it was perfect.

The man wrapped his own arms tightly around the teenager, for once not caring if he might be crossing a line he wasn't prepared to cross.

Dammit... He hadn't had a single clue as to how much he had _actually_ _missed_ this kid.

For a moment, Tobirama allowed himself to burrow his face into the crook of Kiba's neck, allowing the boy's burning chakra to warm him up. And from the way the boy's own face found its way into his hair, he guessed that the action was being reciprocated.

He knew he would come to regret being so open later on. But right now, all that mattered was that his soulmate was safe in his arms and no one was ever going to hurt him.

"Just so you know, I'm never letting you go anywhere without me again." Kiba muttered into Tobirama's hair, then pulled back with that amazing smile still on his face. "We're a packaged deal. Got it?"

Tobirama couldn't help the smile that came onto his face at hearing this, but shrugged, "We'll discuss this later. Over some steak."

The kid's eyes widened and shined adorably.

But then Tobirama's attention was taken away from his soulmate by a new pair of soulmates finally meeting.

" _Shit_."

Kankuro's eyes were wide, almost terrified, as they focused on only Orochimaru. And the snake man's own were just as wide, his face seemingly even more terrified than the teenager's, if that was possible.

For a moment, all was silent. No one moved or said a single thing. Then Kiba, ever the obliviously adorable boy he was, blinked at his friend and the traitor.

"What's wrong, Kankuro?"

If not for the severity of the situation, Tobirama believed he truly would smacked his own face at his soulmate's inability to keep from making a fool of himself in public.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no regrets.
> 
> ... ... ... Well, maybe a few regrets. But not with this story.
> 
> Kankuro and Orochimaru are now two broken halves of an uneven whole. I like that. Hope you do too!


	13. Under the Lantern Light's Glow

At first, Orochimaru wanted nothing to do with his new found soulmate. He just wished to remain inside of his tiny cell in the bowels of T&I and Tobirama was thoroughly inclined to allow him to rot in there.

Having found his soulmate changed nothing. The man was still a murderer and traitor, still deserved to live out the longest sentence Konoha could and would dish out.

But then he had sat down with his old student and actually heard everything that had happened to the snake like man that had driven him towards the precipice of insanity.

His whole clan had been slaughtered by foreign enemies over the course of the last two Great Wars. From dying on missions to being assassinated within their own homes, all of the man's family had been systematically killed off by their enemies to give them an edge over Konoha. Although the clan had not been big, they made up for their small numbers in usefulness. Orochimaru was the last survivor.

Much like anyone born different in Konoha, he'd been ostracized and ridiculed for his looks. As a young boy, he'd taken the insults well and grown from them. But no armor was perfect. And once a chink was found, it only grew. Orochimaru had tried his best to keep the words from getting to him as a child. But as a grown man, he could not deal with the distrust the village had given him simply because he had been _different_.

Hiruzen had regretted not having done _more_ to keep his student happy. But with the weight of Hokage on his shoulders, along with two more genin to look after, Orochimaru had been allowed to let slip through the cracks.

He had been able to keep himself above the murky waters of hate for a long time. And his old student didn't take that away from him, he had been much stronger than anyone else might have been under his circumstances. But he'd allowed himself to drown when the only friends he had known abandoned the village to search for the meaning to their lives.

Orochimaru had stayed strong until he couldn't anymore and had just broken. And with that break in his armor, came the fracture in his mind.

The snake-like man was not well in the head. He was sick and needed to be treated for all of the problems that festered within him. And Hiruzen believed the only way for him to heal would be to meet and get to know his soulmate.

Tobirama had thought Orochimaru to be a monster they would dispose of as soon as they had finished the proper forms. But after having been told everything he had been forced to live through, he couldn't help but agree with his student.

The man wasn't bad because he wanted to be. He was bad because he _needed_ to be.

And on some of occasions he had gone to visit the traitor, Tobirama had witnessed the true degree of sickness the man suffered. He whispered to himself in the dark, hissed in anger, cried in disconsolation.

He could not believe he actually wanted to help the traitor... But he just resigned himself to the fact that having Kiba around him had softened most of his edges.

~/~

"I'm not going."

Kiba quirked an eyebrow at Kankuro's growl, then glanced over at Tobirama. The man's face would seem devoid of any emotions to most, but the Inuzuka could see the frustration that was building up within his eyes.

"Kankuro..." The teen turned to his friend with a soft frown, "You can't run away from your soulmate. You've wanted one for so long."

The painted male scoffed and skewered a piece of meat with his chopstick, "Yeah, but that was before I found out that my soulmate happens to be the guy that tried to kill my father and destroy Suna's alliance with the Leaf." He didn't eat the meat he picked up, though, just glared at it. "I don't give a fuck that he's a dude. But I can't look past the fact that he's one of the greatest monsters to ever live on this earth."

Quite frankly, Kiba felt bad that his friend was caught in this situation. And he could understand why he didn't want to go and even _look_ at his soulmate. Orochimaru was a monster that had hurt everyone in his path to get what he wanted. Not only that, but he'd hurt Suna the worst in his plans to get back at Konoha and almost took the Kazekage away from them.

Tobirama had never struck him as the sentimental type. Or the kind that would go out of his way to help a criminal. But Kiba knew that the man _wanted_ to help Orochimaru. And because he knew his soulmate thought this was a good idea, the Inuzuka decided to follow along with it.

The tattooed boy frowned softly at Kankuro but didn't say a thing. He looked over at Tobirama, silently asking what he should do, but the man offered him no answers.

"I'm gonna go back to my apartment." Kankuro stood up with a heavy sigh, then looked at Tobirama, "I've lived all of my life until now without a soulmate. And, quite frankly, I think I'd be better off without one."

He walked out of Tobirama's apartment with these final words.

Kiba and his soulmate were left sitting at the dining table in silence. Then the teen looked over at the man, "You can't really blame him."

"No..." The man breathed out, crossing his arms over his chest. "You cannot."

With this, Tobirama closed his eyes. Kiba knew that he was trying to think, so he allowed the man a few minutes of silence. But then he grew restless and began to fidget in his chair.

Even after years of being around the calming presence that was Tobirama, the Inuzuka could not sit still for more than a few minutes. Being near Tobirama meant that his stillness lasted for longer than without him, but he still had a limit.

After he'd come back from the finding Orochimaru mission, Tobirama had (luckily enough) been even more open to Kiba's affections. He didn't return hugs much, so things were still like before on that end. But he didn't push Kiba away and didn't seem as sad as before, as if some of the weight that had rested on his shoulders had left him.

"Kiba,"

The Inuzuka jumped when the man suddenly said his name, heart hammering wildly. Then he turned to look at him, only to find him with a fond little smile on his lips.

"How would you feel about leaving the village for a little while? On a vacation, of sorts?"

~/~

This situation with Orochimaru was one that Tobirama needed to get away from. He needed to take a step away from it, breathe in some fresh air before he allowed his warring emotions to get the best of him.

On one hand, he still firmly believed that Orochimaru should be given the worst punishment the Hokage would permit. But, on the other, he was allowing his more humanitarian and sympathetic side to be heard. And that side begged him to save a lost soul.

(Just where these thoughts of wanting to 'save' someone where coming from, Tobirama did not know. But while he didn't mind them, he sure didn't condone them. He'd never been the kind to think too much on criminals. Why was Orochimaru any different?)

Besides, he had been working non-stop with his old student ever since he had come back to life. Vacations weren't really common for shinobi, but a man that had worked so hard for the safety of his village surely deserved some time off. And he'd be damned if he left Kiba behind again. The Inuzuka would undoubtedly chase after him and plaster himself to Tobirama's body if he did that.

Tobirama refused to think about how much _he_ had missed the boy, for he hadn't missed him at all. It wasn't as if thinking about him going off on his own in the world hurt him. Because it didn't. Not a single bit.

Even though his side did begin to ache for some odd reason...

"Seriously?" Kiba gasped, a large smile already taking over his face, "Where would we go? What would we do? Would the Hokage agree to letting us go?"

With his hands planted on the table, the boy had his knees propped up on his chair and his face halfway to meeting Tobirama's. His eyes were lit up with obvious joy, making the man suddenly begin to feel warm once more.

"Just on a small trip near here. Maybe to a nice waterfall I know so I can teach you some new meditation methods." Tobirama murmured in thought, placing his chin between his fingers as he looked away from Kiba. "You and I have been working hard. We both deserve som time to relax." Then he looked back at Kiba and offered a small smile, "Of course he would. My student could never deny me."

"That's so awesome!" Kiba shouted as he threw himself across the table to squeeze Tobirama's neck tightly, then pushed himself back so he was standing on solid ground. "I'm gonna go tell ma! She'll be happy to get rid of me for a few days!"

With these excited shouts, the Inuzuka ran out of Tobirama's apartment, leaving a resting Akamaru behind without a second thought. And Tobirama's eyes followed after his frame until the door closed and hid it.

~/~

On the Hokage's insistence, they wouldn't be going too far on their little escapade. To a nearby town that Tobirama had known back in its founding and had grown since.

Hearing that Kiba would be leaving had made Sasuke, Naruto, and Ino bristle and immediately try and begin to argue. The Inuzuka's best friend found it unfair that he'd be allowed a vacation, even though Team 7 had been (supposedly) working harder than Team 8. And Naruto and Ino just wanted to get a day off to have fun, like Kiba undoubtedly would have.

Their whining had immediately ceased, though, when Tobirama had appeared and told them that this 'vacation' talk was simply a ruse to be able to go and investigate some odd occurrences in the town without being suspected. Then they'd begun to scream about wanting to go undercover with the Second Hokage.

Kiba wasn't sure if Tobirama already knew this, but his friends didn't take kindly to being left behind. No matter how logical it might be.

His team was a bit more understanding. Hinata just told him to be careful while Shino merely waved him goodbye.

Kankuro wasn't as understanding. But he didn't fight like his other friends. He just refused to speak to Kiba or even appear at the Village Gates to send him and Tobirama off.

It had hurt a bit, but Kiba knew that Kankuro himself was hurt. So he tried his best to stay positive as he followed after Tobirama.

Akamaru was so excited that he would run off as he happily barked about all the things he would do now that there was no Kuromaru to stop him, then he'd return panting heavily. A few minutes of walking beside his master and soulmate later, he was back to running off and barking to the high heavens.

Kiba was, on one hand, happy about being able to go on this vacation. It would be the first time he was out of the village for something other than a mission. And the first time he'd be out on something that wasn't a mission without his mother or sister around to keep him under their thumbs. He buzzed with excitement that rivalled Akamaru's own, even though he was able to restrain it much better.

Tobirama walked calmly beside him without a smile on his face, but without a frown either. And Kiba knew that for him to not look serious or worried, it meant that he was at least a tiny bit happy.

When they reached the small town that Tobirama had known in its beginnings, Kiba couldn't help but smile like a complete idiot.

There were dogs _everywhere_. Not only that, but the people clearly took care of and loved them. Not one dog look malnourished or even _sick_.

"Come on. The inn is this way."

~/~

"This town was founded by a many-times removed cousin from the Inuzuka Clan of Konoha."

"Seriously?" Kiba asked wide eyed as he looked over the town they had arrived in two days ago. "That's... Not so hard to believe..."

Tobirama smirked softly at the amazement that was clear in Kiba's whole body, then closed his eyes and allowed the water to wash over his head, fanning out without touching his clothes.

After a few hours of explaining how to let the water smooth over his head rather than crash over it, Kiba was finally relaxing beside him. And Tobirama just relished in the serenity that came from meditating beside his soulmate.

Finally, now that the boy was beside him and _part_ of his meditation, Tobirama was able to concentrate on more than just him. He could feel the animals that ran around the forest's of his home, along with the people and dogs bustling about the town they were in. The chakra signatures coming from Konoha were alight with life and joy, and even if he was far, he could feel every single person in his home as if he were still there.

"Hmm." He couldn't resist but frown softly, acting as if something was bothering him.

"What's wrong, Tobirama?" Kiba questioned, lifting his hand to shield his eyes from the falling water as he looked up at the white haired man.

Tobirama stayed still for a few seconds with a frown still on his face, then turned to look down at him. "It seems Team 7 is on another mission to capture Number 48." He smirked at Kiba's completely confused face, then added, "And it seems that Number 48 has outsmarted them for the third time since we began to meditate."

For a second, Kiba said nothing. Then his face screwed up in confusion and he asked, "Wait... You can feel that all the way from here? Or are you just pulling my leg?"

"Being a sensor allows me to feel many things." Tobirama answered simply, straightening up once more so he could return to his feeling out of the world around them. "Honing my skills allows me to sense our home even when I am far."

Hearing Kiba over the roaring of the waterfall was not easy. It made the Inuzuka have to shout. But because of his own amazing sense of hearing, Tobirama merely had to speak to be heard. So if Kiba said anything after Tobirama had finished, the man didn't know. But he guessed he had not said a single thing because they remained seated at the bottom of the waterfall in silence for one more hour before the Inuzuka asked to leave.

Tobirama left without any problem. He had expected to stay less than an hour because of the boy's jitters. But it seemed that, for once, Kiba had actually taken to the meditation they took part in.

"Let's go and get some fish!" Kiba grabbed Tobirama's hand as he began to pull on it, dragging him over the river with a large smile on his face.

"Would you not rather get changed first?" Tobirama questioned even as he allowed himself to be pulled.

Kiba had gotten wet before he'd managed to get the hang of balancing his chakra between the lower half of his body and head. At first he'd managed to sit without difficulty, but he'd fall in whenever he tried to push chakra onto his head to divert the water.

"No! I'm hungry!"

Tobirama could just _hear_ the pout in his voice. So he allowed himself to go ahead with Kiba and worry about him possibly getting sick later.

~/~

 _Midori no Kiba_. He would have to remember this name for later so he could return with the rest of the rookies. Even though the name wasn't too hard to forget.

Kiba liked being in this small town with Tobirama. It was quiet, the people were really nice, and the fish found in the few bodies of water they had happened to be some of the most delicious fish Kiba had ever tasted.

Being away from Konoha had seemed to make Tobirama into a different man. He was much more relaxed. And even though he was always extremely tolerant of Kiba, he was _smiling_ more often.

This vacation was exactly what his soulmate had needed to get him happy.

"Ooh! Look, Tobirama! They're having a festival to celebrate the harvest and fishing season!" He couldn't help but gawk at the small parade that was being thrown around them as the sun began to set over the town.

The people around them were clearly dressed in their best clothes, for they all smelled much cleaner than usual, and some were still new fabrics, too. And some were even dressed up in costumes of vegetables, fish, and dogs. Those that were in costume were dancing and going down the streets, pulling a few people in to dance with them.

Lanterns began to set the night aglow, making the decorations that were strewn all over the town light up in subtle beauty. And now that the night had set, it seemed that literally the whole town had come out to celebrate.

At one moment, as he and Tobirama waited for the fish vendor to give them their food, Kiba felt someone suddenly grab his hand. For a split second, his shinobi instincts kicked in and he began to think of the best way to escape. But then he found himself pulled into the dancing parade and immediately began to relax. Then, after a few seconds of listening to the music around them, he began to dance to the beat.

He heard Akamaru bark and when he looked down, he found his now rather large dog standing on his hind legs beside a girl close to his age, dancing with her.

Then he felt himself being grabbed once more and found himself faced with a girl slightly taller than him wearing a dog mask, so he began to follow her lead and danced with her.

As he twirled her around, Kiba managed to find Tobirama over the crowds. And what he found made him smile like an even bigger idiot.

The man was looking back at him with _the_ largest smile. There were no lines of worry on his face, just pure happiness. His eyes danced in the lantern light, something that Kiba had never thought would be something he'd be able to see.

Kiba felt himself warming up, but not because of the dancing. His body was active, yes, but it was his soul that began to heat up. And he could feel his mark beginning to glow as those amazing red eyes bore into his own.

His soulmate truly was beautiful.

~/~

"We don't see many Inuzuka around here." The fish vendor commented softly as she began to prepare his and Kiba's food, which made the white haired man quirk an eyebrow slightly.

"Really?"

He would have thought that even though the village itself did not keep close ties with this small, independent town, some part of the Inuzuka Clan would still be affiliated. Even though he couldn't be too surprised, seeing how even Kiba had not known about this small place.

"Last one that came 'round here did so... Ah, shoot..." The woman with the black and white hair stopped working for a moment as she thought, then snapped her fingers, face wrinkling as she smiled at Tobirama in triumph. "Some twenty years ago, actually. Funny they only seem to appear for _this_ celebration."

"It's only thrown every twenty years?"

"Yup. To commemorate the twenty years that it took our founder to build the waterways we use to eat and travel down." The woman nodded as she crossed her arms over her chest, "Funny enough, that kid looks a lot like the Inuzuka that came here."

Immediately Tobirama thought about the Inuzuka that looked the most like Kiba, just a female version, and couldn't help but wonder just what would Tsume have been doing in this small town when she was barely a teenager herself.

But then he turned to look fully at the dancing Inuzuka, only to find his breath hitching in his throat.

Kiba's dance moves weren't graceful like a trained dancer. But they were fluid and honest, for he moved his body in the way he best felt like. And in that fluidity came a beauty that Tobirama could only describe as _Kiba's_.

"Funny coincidences..." The woman drifted off as she noticed that Tobirama wasn't listening to her anymore, then went back to working on the food.

Tobirama, as she did this, just _looked_ at his soulmate.

He was no longer the twelve year old brat he had met that he'd wished to keep as far away as possible from him. He was no longer the fourteen year old kid that made him worry over his learning because he was much too brash to sit still and show he had learned. Instead, he was an almost grown fifteen year old boy on the cusp of adulthood that had matured amazingly. A lot of his maturity might come from interacting so much with Tobirama... But the man didn't care.

Kiba had grown up right before his eyes... And the pride Tobirama felt welling up in his body at that moment was unlike anything he'd ever felt before.

Just like the warmth that flooded him as Kiba's eyes met his own, making his heart flutter in a manner it never had before. His mark also began to tingle, clearly responding to Kiba's own happiness.

It was in this moment that Tobirama found out that, no matter how much he fought it, Kiba already had him wrapped around his finger. And while he could worry about that later, the man decided to just allow himself to be swept up in the wonderful feelings Kiba brought with him for that one night.

~/~

As they returned to the village, Kiba knew that something within Tobirama had changed. And Kiba _rejoiced_ in the fact that it had changed.

"You know, now you're _really_ never get rid of me." He smiled up from Tobirama's chest as they walked, relishing in the warmth that Tobirama's arm around his waist offered.

"I am aware." The man answered easily enough with a shrug, "Just know that I wish for you to keep your hands to yourself when in public."

"But in private?"

"If you wish to hug me, I will not stop you."

Kiba swore that if he smiled anymore, his face would break. Then he prodded, "And if I want to kiss you?"

Without missing a beat, Tobirama smirked, "I will see how many laps around Konoha you can ran with that armor you hate so much."

The teenager immediately bristled at the mention of the armor he hated so much, but quickly glued himself to Tobirama's side once more. Sure, the man still wasn't thinking along the lines of romance. But he was much more affectionate and wasn't afraid to talk to him anymore. Apparently, even with how easy conversation had become around them the past few years, Tobirama did indeed have a sense of humor that went beyond just tolerating people.

There was such ease around them now that Kiba swore he may just be urged to move to Midori no Kiba if anything changed.

The walk to Konoha was shorter than he remembered it to have been when they'd left and that annoyed Kiba a bit. And that annoyance only grew when Tobirama extracted himself from Kiba, even though he still stood rather close to him.

On their walk to Tobirama's apartment, they were intercepted by Kankuro. The older teen still seemed disturbed, but wasn't frowning as heavily as before they had left for their vacation.

"Kankuro." Tobirama nodded in acknowledgement.

Kankuro offered him a halfhearted salute, but soon turned to Kiba and looked him directly in the eyes. "I met him."

Immediately the Inuzuka knew who 'him' was because for the first time in his life, he saw tears in Kankuro's eyes. "Kankuro? What's wrong?" He stepped towards his friend in worry, only to suddenly be snatched into a tight, bone-crushing hug.

"I met him and I _want_ to hate him..." Kankuro's voice shook as he spoke, even though it was barely above a whisper so he wasn't heard by anyone but Kiba. "But I _can't_."

Kiba was caught completely off guard by the confession. But he quickly wrapped his arms around the taller teen to offer some comfort. And as he began to hear Kankuro struggle to keep himself from crying, he chanced a look over at Tobirama.

... Damn it all... The frown lines were back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... This is way longer than I first thought it would be... But I'm happy with it! Tobirama and Kiba's relationship is much less complicated than before, but still isn't romantic. In Tobirama's eyes, he's still a bit of a kid. He'll wait a bit more before he gives in to the Inuzuka charm. (Hint, hint, he eventually does.)
> 
> Oh and Orochimaru and Kankuro is a relationship that I still don't know how it'll end up. I kind of want this to end up all happy simply because Tobirama and Kiba are so gushy. But Kankuro is a stubborn little shit... And Orochimaru is a monster. So I'm still not sure how these two will end up together, if they end up together.
> 
> Please don't forget to comment! I just love reading what y'all think of this story!


	14. Loyalty is Thicker than Blood

Quick warning: I do not know where this angst suddenly came from, but it's here. It's not here to stay, this is (hopefully) a theme that will only be touched on this _one_ chapter and never again! For all Tsunade fans, brace yourselves. Tobirama does _not_ take any shit from those that abandon their homes. For Tsunade haters, don't get no ideas now. I love this bitch. But the story needed this... I think... Not sure... _Maybe_?

..~..~..

Kankuro stayed in Konoha for a rather long time. By the time Kiba had realized just how long he'd been around, more than a month had passed. But it seemed that his father had no immediate need for him back home and allowed him to stay for far longer. Kiba had no idea if the man even knew why his son was staying in Konoha in the first place. But he highly doubted that Kankuro would have flat out told him about the soulmate situation he currently found himself in.

"Turns out he and I both like hamburger steak." The older teenager grunted as he threw a kunai at the training dummies, then turned to look at Kiba. "Isn't that a bit weird?"

As he thought about how it really wasn't all that odd, Kiba threw his own kunai, hitting his mark perfectly. Really, neither of them needed to take part in target practice. But they'd been driven out of Kiba's house by Hana telling them to do something productive and Team 8 wasn't set to arrive at the training grounds for another hour. So they were just practicing an already perfected skill as they talked.

"Not really. My soulmate and I both share in our favorite foods. Although we don't always agree on which one's the best."

From the way Kankuro suddenly stopped, Kiba could tell he wasn't too pleased with the answer. But when he turned to the older boy to see what was up, he only found him frowning thoughtfully.

"What'd I do?"

"You talk a lot about your soulmate; always seem so proud of him and like he's the best person in the world... Yet you don't even tell your friends who he is." Kankuro didn't really sound angry, or even annoyed. Just confused... And maybe... Somewhat worried?

Kiba knew that Tobirama wouldn't throw a fit if he told his friends who the man truly was to him. The man would accept that he told them that they were soulmates, even though Kiba was sure the man wouldn't like it.

The Second Hokage. One of the strongest shinobi to ever live. Soulmate to a regular Inuzuka who was only a tiny bit above average in his ninja training because the Second Hokage himself had drilled education into him.

"It's..." Kiba tried, but found that he couldn't find the right words to explain himself. "... Complicated?"

With a huff, a roll of his eyes, and a shake of his head, Kankuro scoffed out, "Could never be as complicated as me and _my_ soulmate."

The words made Kiba's heart clench and he immediately felt bad for not manning up and telling his friend who his soulmate actually was. But, really, how would telling Kankuro who Tobirama really was to Kiba help the puppeteer? He'd just see that even though they were so different, they still had a pretty good relationship. And that really wouldn't help him in any way.

~/~

Tobirama had known that his grandniece was still alive ever since he had been brought back to life. Hiruzen had made sure to inform him of the last of the Senju line as soon as he had been able to.

But his grandniece had left the village to find herself after heartbreak had destroyed her.

When she had still been a child, Tsunade had been the apple of his eye. So innocent yet intelligent and sharp... He had known that she would get far in life. There was no doubt in his mind that this child would become one of the strongest, bravest, most feared kunoichi to ever walk the world.

In a way, he had been right... But, in a way, he could not be bring himself to be proud of her.

She had abandoned her village. The home her grandfathers had worked so hard to build, her family and friends had worked so hard to protect.

Tobirama knew that he was not being fair to her. Hiruzen had explained to him that Tsunade had only left after experiencing two heart breaks that had broken her. Both her brother and her lover. And she truly believed that it had been her fault that they had died. But he had not known those two males in her life, could not identify with the loss that had driven her from her home. And he could not identify at all with the lover, seeing how they had not even been _soulmates_.

He had lost his own brothers. He'd seen kids he had grown up with, played on the sparse nights of peace, _shared a life with_ , die. He'd seen them fall before his very eyes. But he had not abandoned his Clan. Instead he had continued to fight to make sure that no other child would ever have to lose their life on the cruel battlefields bred by war.

Orochimaru, even after everything that had devastated him, had stayed in Konoha. He had taught a group of genin and tried his best to keep his home safe. Of the three that had made up his genin team, he had been the one to stay the longest.

Tsunade could have stayed with him and helped. She could have helped and kept so many tragedies from occurring. She could have stopped Orochimaru the second he turned his love for Konoha into hatred.

But she had left.

"Lord Senju?"

The white haired boy he had once known was no more. In his stead was a man much older than Tobirama should have been able to meet with a frown he would have once believed impossible to find on his once cheery face.

"Your old friend, Orochimaru, played a hand in bringing me back to life." Tobirama answered the unasked question coldly, keeping his tone polite but impersonal.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Hiruzen's quirked eyebrow. But at the moment, Tobirama could not be bothered to try and act as if he was happy to be here. Because, in reality, he wasn't.

In the weeks after he had come back from his impromptu vacation with Kiba, things had been rocky. Kankuro was always in need of someone to talk to, someone to help him deal with the stresses that now affected him. So he and Kiba had done their best to be there for him whenever they were needed. Kiba more than Tobirama, seeing how Kiba was the one that did all the talking. But Tobirama was the one that helped Kiba know exactly what to say and do.

Aside from that, he had also been helping improve the Academy, seeing how test scores had begun to drop ever since Orochimaru's attack on the village. Morale had been low for quite some time now, but had reached an underwhelming plateau that he had decided to begin to address now that he wasn't focused on Team 8's training.

And just to keep himself busy, he had also begun to help the Inuzuka care for some of the stray dogs left abandoned around the village. So his days were always busy.

Normally, he enjoyed his days being so full. But sometimes all he truly wanted was to take a breather with a steaming mug of tea in one hand, a book in the other, and Kiba curled up against him as he did his best to stay still for a few minutes.

Tonight's plans had been to do just that... Until the wayward Jiraiya decided to come crashing in, bringing along the prodigal grandniece just for the heck of it.

"G-granduncle?"

For a second, Tobirama felt his cold heart warm at Tsunade's disbelieving tone. But then it hardened once more, remembering everything she had done to forsake her village. So he merely nodded stiffly.

"Now why is it that I am here?"

~/~

"I could always tell them... Tobirama wouldn't mind... He's said so many times before."

Akamaru groaned lowly as he craned his neck to reach Kiba's cheek, then began to lick at it.

Currently, both members of the Inuzuka Clan found themselves inside of Tobirama's apartment. They lay on his bed, Kiba laid out on Akamaru's stomach. He was hidden beneath the covers, seeing how winter was making itself felt rather harshly. And he had been reading a book, a fantastical novel about witches, warlocks, and wolfmen, but he'd found that, after every few words, his mind refused to allow him to read.

Kankuro was currently visiting Orochimaru once more. Even though it was late at night, Ibiki and the Hokage permitted the puppeteer to visit him as long as Ibiki stayed close enough to watch over them.

The older teen didn't like the fact that he was watched whenever he visited his soulmate. But, at the same time, he was grateful for it. Ibiki's very presence there was enough to keep him grounded, stopped him from saying or doing anything too stupid.

"What do you think, boy? Should we finally tell our friends who Tobirama really is to me?" Kiba asked softly, turning onto his side to look Akamaru in the eyes.

The dog had not understood why Kiba had not taken the first chance he had been given to tell them the truth. But he respected Kiba's decision and hadn't judged him too harshly.

'Do you really _want_ to?'

"I'm not sure, boy."

'Then it's not the right time.'

Kiba huffed at Akamaru's answer, turning onto his back once more.

His side was beginning to burn, but not in the comforting, pleasant way he had become accustomed to. Instead it began to tingle uncomfortably, then grew into an irritating glow that had Kiba wincing.

"Wonder what's bothering Tobirama..."

His chest was tight now too... Whatever was affecting Tobirama, was affecting Kiba too.

"Let's go check on him."

~/~

"He should be killed."

"That's not your decision to make, Tsunade."

The blonde winced at Tobirama's words, but then the man turned to look at Jiraiya. Of the two, the younger male had been the one most adamant and insistent about Orochimaru's death sentence.

"He is _not_ getting killed. As the Hokage, Hiruzen has already made his decision." His eyes narrowed as he spoke, "And no temper tantrum will change that."

With a frown of his own, Jiraiya wisely avoided answering the accusation of his childish actions. Instead he looked at his old teacher, "You know how dangerous he is. He escaped from you once, he'll be able to do it again. Just because he found his soulmate, it does not mean he should be pardoned for his actions."

Tobirama tensed immediately at his words, but took a deep breath in to calm himself.

Anger had no use in this situation. Disappointment, though, was a harder feeling to get rid of. It festered within him, making him regret having placed so many of his hopes on a child as young as Tsunade.

Maybe, if he hadn't pushed her so hard, she wouldn't have _tried_ so hard... Then, _maybe_ , she would not have left the village when she felt that she had lost everything important to her.

"The matter of Orochimaru's soulmate is not up for discussion, Jiraiya." Hiruzen puffed out a few rings of smoke after he had said this, deep in thought. "Instead, what _is_ up for discussion is which jail he will be confined to for the rest of his life. Killing him will solve nothing. Instead, it will only cause more pain."

"How could killing someone as vile as Orochimaru possibly hurt _anyone_?" Tsunade grunted out, "He tried to _kill_ you, Sensei!"

"And he would have, if not for the Second Hokage escaping his jutsu to lend me aid." Sarutobi nodded in agreement, then turned his aged eyes on the man that had once been older than him. "What is your take on this, Tobirama Sensei?"

With his arms crossed decisively over his chest, Tobirama answered, "Killing him will win us nothing. A life spent asking for forgiveness is worth more than an immediate death decided on vengeance."

Suddenly, the tightness that had been constricting Tobirama's body began to unwind itself. Slowly but surely, he began to feel calmer, much less tensed than before. And when he reached out with his senses, he understood why.

Kiba had gotten much better at hiding his chakra level.

~/~

Kiba entered the Hokage's office with as much grace as he could. He knew that there was some big meeting going on, but he also knew that his soulmate was in trouble.

And if Tobirama felt bad, there was nothing he wouldn't do to make the evil go away.

The two people that stood by Tobirama were famous, he was sure. Sannin, like Orochimaru. He'd heard his mother speaking about them before, praising them one second, then cursing them the next.

His plan was to just stay quiet and unseen until Tobirama decided to leave. Then he'd go after the man and comfort him to the best of his abilities.

But then he'd heard Tobirama speaking up against killing Orochimaru, even when the two others in the room insisted he should have been killed.

He was proud Tobirama cared enough about Kankuro to keep the snake alive.

"If he escapes again,"

"Which he won't."

The blonde woman glared at Tobirama with an intensity that Kiba had only ever seen used by the man himself. And Tobirama, much to his surprise, didn't glare back at all. If anything... The man looked saddened.

"Granduncle, what I'm saying is that this is a risk that is not worth taking."

"Is ripping a soulmate away from another is a risk you _would_ take?" Tobirama questioned, eyes finally filling with the fire Kiba had come to admire. "Because if you decide that taking away a person's soulmate just because of revenge is a reasonable action, then all of my work in raising you was for nothing."

Granduncle... This chick was Tobirama's family... The last of the Senju?

The harshness of his words made the woman pause for a second. Then, with utter confusion shining through, she asked, "Since when have soulmates been important to you? You were born without one. The idea of separating soulmates never bothered you before."

~/~

In his other past life, Tobirama would not have faltered over executing Orochimaru for his war crimes.

But in his past life, Tobirama had not had a soulmate waiting for him in his apartment. In that past life, he had not been touched by the hopefulness that Kiba Inuzuka innately held within himself. And in a past life, he had not understood how much it truly would have hurt to lose one's soulmate.

If he allowed himself, he would have many regrets over people killed in that past life. But he refused to do so, knowing that he had been a different person surrounded by different circumstances.

In this life, though, he _had_ a soulmate. And the very thought of losing him made Tobirama's knees weak and his heart stutter.

"Desertion," He began, voice cold, "Is a crime punishable by death in Konoha. Desertion is when an active shinobi leaves their village without _any_ form of communication to keep track of them. By your insistence on executing Orochimaru, I would be led to believe you would be alright with being punished yourself."

"Hey, that's kind of harsh, Tobirama."

Kiba walked into the light with Akamaru close to him, making his way towards Tobirama with distress clear on his face.

The boy had only ever seen snatches of how truly cold and ruthless he could be on the battlefield. Undoubtedly, he'd be caught off guard by suddenly seeing that battlefield persona turned onto allies. But Tobirama could not bare the thought of Kiba being taken away from him. So how could he bare the thought of Orochimaru being taken from Kankuro?

For a second, both Tsunade and Jiraiya remained silent. Kiba merely walked up to Tobirama to look him up in the eyes, brown eyes swimming with worry and dozens of different questions.

Tobirama did not like the way Kiba was looking at him now. There was barely any warmth in his stare.

How he wanted the warmth to come back...

"Who's the brat?"

~/~

Kiba had never seen Tobirama fly off the handle before. And, quite frankly, he never wanted to see it again.

The woman's question was completely expected. Kiba had appeared out of nowhere, unfelt by anyone in the room other than his soulmate, and had tried to defuse the situation without knowing anything about it. He didn't blame her for acting a bit like a bitch. She had all the reason to like act one, really, for her plans of seeing Orochimaru dead were being stopped by the one person she must have expected to back her up.

The first thing Tobirama had done was snarl at her to _never_ call Kiba a brat ever again. A simpe statement that, while a bit surprising, Kiba could understand. His soulmate was on edge and _no one_ liked to hear their other half insulted.

But the woman had taken insult badly. So she'd quickly questioned just who the hell this snot nosed kid could have been to him to make him so angry, and Tobirama had not taken well to that.

Kiba had only ever seen _one_ person in his life as scary as Tobirama when he shouted. And that had been his mother when she'd found out that their father had abandoned them because he could not stand the pressures of being her lover anymore.

But while her mother had been a storm unleashed, Tobirama had been a storm kept bottled within. He hadn't shouted, but his words had been said to cut, and cut deep.

Kiba had not understood just what half of the things the man had said had meant. But he knew that by the end of his tirade, the woman was staring at him with tears flowing freely from her eyes and a mouth so agape that it looked like her jaw was about to unhinge and hit the floor.

"Tobirama..." Kiba whispered out, his own eyes wide after having heard the man say such ruthless things about traitors.

Suddenly, his hand was snatched into the man's own. And without a single word to any of the stunned people in the Hokage's office, the red eyed man marched them out.

Kiba remained silent as Tobirama stomped all the way from the Hokage's office to his apartment. And when the man threw his door open, sending it crashing into the wall behind, Kiba tried to not wince. But the sound was so sudden and so loud that he couldn't help himself.

The man's once bruising grip softened. And then Kiba found himself being pulled into Tobirama's body, hugged tightly.

"She had no right to call you a brat..."

Kiba, much too stunned by the man's sudden actions, fumbled for what to do. But quickly he wrapped his own arms around the man's waist, hugging him tightly to show him that he was there for him.

"But... You had no reason to say such things about her either..."

~/~

Tobirama had never wanted to hurt his family. Not even as a child, ostracized and ridiculed for being different, had he ever wanted to hurt them.

For the first time in his life, after Tsunade had insulted Kiba, Tobirama found himself feeling something he had never felt before. Hate for his family. And he could not bring himself to try and explain why. Or stop himself from feeling it.

Instead of trying to keep it inside, he'd exploded.

Some sick voice within him told him that he'd be happy to see Tsunade sad. But all he had felt as he called her out on her traitorous actions had been disgust with himself and anger for his own stupidity.

"I know..." Tobirama breathed out, eyes closed tight as tears pricked at them.

He didn't know how much time they spent standing there, hugging one another. But by the time Tobirama retracted his arms from Kiba, he could tell that the teenager was on the brink of falling asleep.

"All my life, I fought to create a village worth living in."

Kiba jumped slightly when Tobirama began to speak, but didn't interrupt. Instead he just leaned his body against Tobirama, head cradled on the man's chest. And Tobirama allowed him to stay there, then snaked his arms around the teen's waist as he continued to speak.

"Years of violent bloodshed and unnecessary war left my brother, Hashirama, and I hoping to create a safe place where kids would be able to live and play without having to worry about dying. And I gave my _life_ to that dream, in the hopes that one day I would not have to worry about my Clan members dying prematurely."

Even with how tired the boy was, he still managed to raised his hands to rest them on top of Tobirama's, rubbing soothing circles onto each with his thumbs.

"In my lifetime, I was able to see a part of my dream realized. My brother was able to have children. And those children, their own." The man allowed a small smile to take over his features as he remembered a young Tsunade promising to _never_ be a kunoichi, but to be a shinobi. "I had high hopes for Tsunade; believed that she could be Hokage material even in a time when kunoichi weren't really considered for posts of such high power."

He stopped talking then, a lump forming in his throat.

"Now you find out that the little girl you hoped would become Hokage actually wound up leaving her village and, at the same time, leaving her teammates behind... You've always emphasized teamwork, Tobirama..."

"Because Clan affiliations can only get you so far..." Tobirama repeated sourly, remembering the words he had said many times before to try and help build a mindful Konoha. "It's teamwork and loyalty that will win a fight. No matter if there are blood relations or not."

"You feel like she disrespected you by abandoning the village. Spit on your legacy and everything you had ever accomplished."

Kiba was so right it hurt.

No further words were said after that. Tobirama just held his soulmate well into the night, remaining silent. And for the first time since he had known the boy, Kiba did not fidget at all as he remained in his embrace. He stood there with Tobirama, offering what comfort he could by just _being_ there.

..~..~..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tsunade is a character that I love. Don't get me wrong, please. This may seem like bashing, but it's not! Really! I swear! Just look at it in Tobirama's point of view: All he can see is a grandniece he loved leaving the village he created over heartache. Heartache which he had kind of experienced himself, minus the lover bit. But he'd lost brothers, friends, and family. He stayed though. Why couldn't Tsunade?
> 
> Drop a comment if you like. I love reading them so much!


	15. Love Runs Deep

When Tobirama awoke, he was met with a rather fuzzy body cuddled up to him. Which was odd, seeing how he remembered having fallen asleep with the very human Kiba curled up in his arms.

Akamaru's tongue was wet and eager as he raised his head to lap up at Tobirama's cheek. The man groaned softly, not much of a fan of getting licked by the dog, but allowed him to finish up rather than scolding him. After years of dealing with both him and his human, Tobirama was more than used to allowing this kind of thing.

"You're not Kiba."

A happy tail began to thump against the bed once Akamaru noticed that he too was awake, then barked at him, as if to tell him something. And Tobirama guessed that he must have been trying to tell him about where Kiba must have been, seeing how the Inuzuka was nowhere to be found. But before the dog could try to bark too much (which where all barks Tobirama did not know how to take), the door into his room was opening up.

When the man turned to look to the doorway into the room, he found Kiba entering with a tray filled with food, a large cup placed inside as well. And when the boy's eyes fell on Tobirama's own surprised, red ones, the teenager offered a toothy smile.

"Good morning!" The teen walked up to the bed and set the tray down over Tobirama's lap without any hesitation, all the while Akamaru jumped up and moved away from the man so as to not disturb him. "I hope you like a simple breakfast."

Quirking an eye over at the boy, Tobirama could not help but wonder for a moment if he knew just what exactly simple meant. A serving of rice, miso soup that seemed to have potato within it, two finely cooked fillets of salmon, and a rather interesting looking piece of tamagoyaki. The coloring of it was fine... But it looked as if it had more than just the usual egg and soy sauce inside of it.

"I added a few pieces of salmon inside of the tamagoyaki just to give you some more protein to face the day."

That would be why it looked thicker than usual...

"This looks delicious, Kiba. Thank you."

The boy beamed earnestly as Tobirama picked up the chopsticks that lay besides the assorted bowls. Then he draped himself over Tobirama's back, causing the man to pause for a moment, and look at him with a quirked eyebrow. But when all he received was a toothy smile in return, the man allowed the teen to stay on top of him.

It wasn't as if the kid weighed too much, after all. Besides the warmth radiating off of Kiba was enough to chase away the morning cold that tried to sink into his bones.

And even after he ended up losing a few pieces of his breakfast to Kiba's mouth, Tobirama did not mind the boy's perch at all. It felt nice to have him so close. Even if he had the bad habit of taking his food from him.

~/~

It was unfair that Tobirama ended up dealing with so much stress in his life. The man worked so hard to keep others safe, yet all the recompense he seemed to get for being so kind was unnecessary drama.

Kiba did not know Tsunade. The woman was a complete stranger to him. But she seemed to have affected the village negatively. For that, he could have forgiven her. But she had affected his _soulmate_ negatively. He'd never seen Tobirama so close to tears before. And all because his grand niece had ended up as a disappointment he never would have foreseen. For this, he could _not_ forgive her.

With everything the man did, Kiba truly believed that he deserved more than just a bit of happiness. He deserved all the happiness in the world, along with all the joy and the love.

He was kind of sure he could give all the love... But he wasn't all sure about the happiness or joy...

Tobirama had seemed to enjoy his breakfast. And that brought a lot of pride to the young Inuzuka, for he had worked his ass off making the food as delicious as he could make it.

He'd have to thank Hana later for forcing him to learn how to cook.

After Tobirama had finished eating and they'd both washed up and gotten dressed (Kiba had two drawers full of his clothes inside of the apartment because, really, there was no denying how close they had gotten over the years), both males found themselves lounging around Tobirama's living room. The man lay down on the couch, head rested on top of the arm of the couch, all the while Kiba found himself resting comfortably on top of him. The man's arms were stretched out above both of them, hands holding onto the book Kiba had tried to read the past night.

"Rather interesting story line... Although I never took you for the kind to read things of such length."

Leaning his head back on Tobirama's neck, the Inuzuka looked him in the eyes with slight curiosity. He kept his face as blank as possible, hoping to make the man worry about having said the wrong thing.

For a second, the man raised an inquisitive eyebrow down at Kiba, as if silently asking the boy what he was up to. And then Kiba found that he couldn't keep the smile off of his face and he beamed up at him.

"I can be smart when I want to be!" Then he raised his hand up to the book, found the sentence he had finished on, then began to read once more.

~/~

Spending the day with Kiba was just what Tobirama needed. After having spent the past night feeling like shit, having his soulmate wrapped up in his arms, reading one of the finest pieces of literature written a hundred years ago by a faceless author... This was _exactly_ what he needed.

"You have an _outstanding_ reading voice." Tobirama remarked as he looked down at Kiba's body as the teenager finally finished up the fourteenth chapter of the thirty chapter long book.

From early morning to late evening, they had spent the whole day inside of his apartment. And they'd just read. For lunch, they'd taken a small break to send Akamaru off to buy some fish from the vendors by writing down their orders and giving him some money. But aside from that small minute spent writing down what they wanted for food and finding the money for it, they had not left the couch or stopped reading.

"Why thank you, Lord Senju." Kiba smiled as rolled around so that he and Tobirama's chests were touching.

Tobirama allowed his arms to rest on the teen's back, closing the book to leave it resting on top of him. Then he just continued to look into Kiba's eyes, internally wondering what he was thinking of. And Kiba continued to just look back at him, a more than pleased smile playing on his lips.

"It was nice that no surprise missions came along."

Hiruzen had, most probably, decided to give them both a break before asking them to be proper shinobi once more. After the harsh night they had experienced, the man most probably wanted them to just relax and avoid as much drama as possible.

Which, when thinking about efficiency and the still small number of ninja the man had at his disposal, wasn't the best thing to have done. But when taking the human factor into the equation, it made sense. After having such a heated meeting with a grandniece Tobirama had not seen in years, the man would need some time to himself. And (even though he still refused to admit it out loud), the best way to get him to actually relax was to leave him in a room with no one but Kiba.

"It was nice to just spend the day together." Tobirama admitted somewhat reluctantly, raising his left hand up to Kiba's hair to be able to pass his fingers through it.

It was unfair how truly amazing this boy was. He had a wonderful soul that lit up any room he walked into and a big heart that encompassed all that met him. His smile could make even the rainiest of days suddenly become sunny. And he'd somehow managed to burrow his way into Tobirama's heart so deeply that the man had no idea if he could force him out... Or if he even _wanted_ to.

The teen's arms reached up to wrap around Tobirama's neck as he lay his cheek on the man's chest. And like that, with fingers carding through soft, short hair, both males were lulled into a comfortable peace. So at ease they were that Tobirama felt his eyes slowly become heavier as sleep slowly began to encompass him.

His hand even stopped on Kiba's head, just resting in his hair.

But then the peace they had managed to fall into was broken when Tobirama felt someone right outside his door. And as he silently hoped that the person wasn't looking for him, a knock resounded throughout the room.

Kiba keened softly as he stirred and Tobirama could not help but frown. The teen was completely asleep and the hasty knock was loud enough to bother Tobirama. It must have been rather loud for someone with such heightened senses as the Inuzuka.

He managed to maneuver out from beneath the boy without waking him up. And then he quickly ran over to the door, throwing it open just in time to avoid the teenager standing there from knocking once more.

It was one of Kiba's friends... The young Uchiha that enjoyed hassling him more than actually being friendly to him.

"Yes?" He asked with a blank look on his face.

He had mixed feelings over this teen. Kiba loved him dearly for this was the boy he heard about the most aside from Shino, Hinata, Akamaru, and Kankuro. Hell, he was pretty sure that he'd heard about him more than any of the kid's own teammates. But ever since he had met him years ago, all that Tobirama had seen from him was constant questions over his soulmate. Questions which all clearly bothered the Inuzuka.

"Hana said I would be able to find Kiba here." The teen looked up at him without any kind of hesitation visible, clearly much more confident and sure of himself than his older brother.

Shame. Tobirama had always hated the arrogant Uchiha way. It seemed that this one still kept that unfortunate tradition alive.

"He's sleeping. Is there anything you need to be relayed to him?"

Tobirama held the door close to his body to keep the teen from looking in on his apartment. His soulmate was resting peacefully. And the man didn't want that to be ruined.

"Yeah. But it's urgent."

It was odd to see a friend of Kiba's actually glaring up at him. Tobirama had gotten so accustomed to his teammates, whom were both respectful and hesitant over angering a man as powerful as the Second Hokage, that he'd forgotten that there could be other genin out there that could be as confident as Kiba.

"Why don't you tell me what it is and I'll see how truly urgent it is?"

~/~

Tobirama was such a good bed that it was _unfair_. Laying on him wasn't something Kiba was able to do often because the man wasn't all that crazy about being in such an intimate embrace. So whenever he was able to do it, Kiba hated to let go of him.

Of course Sasuke was the one to destroy such a perfectly fine evening... And with pressing news, apparently, if Kiba was reading the Uchiha's voice correctly.

But Tobirama's scent was still on the couch, just like his warmth, and the book was still resting precariously over his back... So Kiba wasn't getting up until he was more than sure that he _needed_ to.

Even though on a normal day he'd be able to hear the Uchiha clearly, he was currently extremely sleepy. And the way in which Tobirama's scent filled up his nose was only helping lull him into a peaceful sleep.

"Kankuro... Orochimaru... His father... Hokage... Kazekage..."

There was a shift in Tobirama's mood and Kiba immediately knew that this was a lot more urgent than he would have wished. Then the man was right beside him, shaking him awake.

"Right now, Kankuro needs you."

The words had him shooting up from the couch immediately. And with a sharp whistle to signal Akamaru to follow him, the Inuzuka took off running.

He didn't know where it was that he was supposed to go. But Kankuro's scent was easy to find among the Hidden Leaf because of how different it was. So he followed his nose without stopping to see if Tobirama was following him.

The Hokage's office. That's where his nose was taking him to.

"Why does everything dramatic happen there?" The teen lamented for a moment, then ran up to the office to find Kankuro, the Hokage, and the _Kazekage_ all inside.

... The man was a _carbon copy_ of Kankuro. Just taller, with lighter brown hair, and a _much_ harsher edge to his glare.

Temari and Gaara stood off the side, worry just about oozing from them. Even though there was more coming from Gaara, while Temari's worry was mixed in with frustration. From the Hokage as well. But the Kazekage was visibly pissed off, even more so when Kiba looked into his scent. And Kankuro...

"What's wrong?"

"Another Konoha idiot? Sarutobi, I do not need anymore of your lackeys to come and interrupt me. I need _justice_."

"Dad!"

Kankuro's eyes were red and his voice quivered in a way that made Kiba's heart immediately lurch. The Kazekage was here because of his son's soulmate... How had the man even found out about him?

"Hush, Kankuro! You do not know what you speak of!"

"I know who my damned soulmate is!" Kankuro screamed back, taking a step forward as if to step up to his father.

But the man sent a harsh glare his way, immediately sending the teen into a shell Kiba had no idea he even had. "Clearly you do not if you think that traitorous _snake_ could be your soulmate." Then he turned his glare onto the Hokage, "You cannot possibly be thinking of keeping him locked up. He should be _killed_."

~/~

When Tobirama entered the Hokage's office, it was a few seconds after Kiba and Akamaru. And he remained silent, choosing to evaluate the situation rather than jump into a discussion blind and head first.

He was _so tired_ of hearing about executing a broken and ill man. What kind of justice could be achieved if they ended up murdering a mentally sick man? And all for revenge.

"Lord Kazekage, I understand your anger towards Orochimaru-"

"If it weren't for Yashamaru my father would be dead." A blonde female with a stern frown on her face spoke up, causing everyone to turn to her. "That bastard wanted to _kill_ our Kazekage. You have to understand that Suna _cannot_ allow this bastard to get off easy."

"I'm not asking him to get off easy, Tem! I'm not asking much of anything! Just don't kill him!"

"Shut up, Kankuro." The blonde hissed, making the male shrink back. "You don't know what you're asking for."

Tobirama had never seen Kankuro back down from any kind of challenge. He actually found it hard to believe that he even had the ability to do so. And the fact that these people were affecting him so harshly... They must have been family.

"Orochimaru is Kankuro's soulmate." Kiba spoke up with a harsh glare in the girl's direction. "You can't say anything to deny it because it's just a fact. Just like you and Shika, Temari." Then he frowned, crossing his arms sternly over his chest. "You can't deny it."

"My _son_ cannot be soulmates with that _snake_ , boy."

Tobirama felt himself bristle at the way the Kazekage dared address Kiba, but managed to stamp his anger down once more. Just like with the past night, growing angry would just be unproductive.

"He _is_." Tobirama now took a step forward, looking at the man with as much severity as he could. Clearly, this Kazekage was accustomed to being harsh and getting what he wanted with a few threats. But this time around, he'd be disappointed. "I am sorry to tell you this, but even with the crimes against Suna, you have no say in the punishment that is to be given to a Konoha native criminal that was caught by _our_ shinobi."

If the man had been caught by Suna, this would be a completely different situation. The Kazekage would be able to do whatever he wanted with him. It wouldn't matter if Orochimaru was the Leaf's mistake, _he_ would be in charge.

But this wasn't the case. Tobirama himself had caught the man. And he'd be damned if he allowed foreigners or shinobi on the verge of being traitors themselves to tell him what should be done.

"You would cause political conflict by allowing him to live? Suna will not take this lightly."

"Suna should not be making vague threats they would not be able to back up." Tobirama warned lowly, then turned to look at Kankuro.

The teenager was on the verge of tear and was clearly in need of someone positive helping him. He did _not_ need these jerks from Suna screaming about Orochimaru not being his soulmate. He'd already suffered through this enough before. He did not need more.

"Kiba, take Kankuro away from here, please. Hiruzen and I will deal with the delegation from Suna."

"You will _not_ -"

"Father."

This was the first time the boy with the red hair spoke up. And he looked at the man with such intensity that the man finally decided to relent.

"Leave me, you disgrace."

~/~

If Kiba could rip the Kazekage's head off, he was pretty sure he would. How could a father ever possibly scream and talk down to his son like this? How could he put him down over something that was beyond his control?

He grabbed Kankuro's hand as quickly as he could and pulled him away from the office without waiting for anyone else to try and bring him down.

Temari was a strong character, usually came off as bitchy... But Kiba would have thought that she'd stand behind her brother no matter what. Apparently, her father came before her brother.

Luckily enough, Gaara was around. And even though he was much more peaceful than when Kiba had first met him, there was always the fear of him becoming violent. And he knew this and used it to his advantage.

"I can't believe they would say that... Like, I can't believe he's my soulmate either! I don't need them to scream at me like that!"

"I know, Kankuro... But you've got to calm down-"

"I wish I could live up to their expectations! But I can't let them kill him! He's my soulmate!"

Kankuro was beyond reasoning. Even as Kiba pulled him away from the Hokage Compound, tears streamed down his face and he blubbered about everything that had just gone on.

"This is why I didn't want to tell them! Who the _fuck_ told them?!"

It hurt to see him so hurt. And Kiba _really_ wanted to find out who had been the jerk to tell the Kazekage about Kankuro being Orochimaru's soulmate so he could punch the bastard in the face.

Kiba would not be able to calm Kankuro down. It was obvious from the way he continued to freak out and cry.

But he knew someone that may just be able to help him out...

"Kankuro... Do you want to go and see Orochimaru?"

The teenager suddenly froze up and kept his gaze down on the floor. But soon enough he offered a small nod and allowed Kiba to lead him away from the Hokage's compound.

~/~

Convincing the Kazekage was just about impossible.

But then something unexpected happened.

Tsunade walked in without knocking, glaring directly at Tobirama as she did so. Clearly she wanted to butt into the conversation to be able to speak about what had happened the past night... And she'd most probably insist on Orochimaru's death.

But from glaring at him, her blue eyes ventured over towards the Kazekage's. And in that _second_ , all of the anger held within her disappeared.

Tobirama knew what was occurring before either of them did. Tsunade had just found her soulmate and Rasa had met his own.

"Uh... Dad?" The blonde girl tried to call for him, but the man was much too caught up in his soulmate's eyes to listen.

The smirk that came onto Tobirama's face was not light. He knew that by these two finding each other, he would be able to convince them to stop on their revenge quests. It would be overly simple.

"That feeling you two are experiencing right now; imagine it being shattered, your heart broken, losing the half you've suddenly found." He spoke up clearly, making both adults turn to him with wide eyes. "That is what you would be doing to a wholly innocent boy the second you kill Orochimaru. His death would cause nothing but pain. Leaving him locked up is much better justice."

~/~

When they reached the cell that held Orochimaru, Kankuro didn't say a single thing.

Ibiki walked forward in front of them to open the cell, then turned to them with a stern frown on his face. The man was not thrilled to be pulled out of his office on a busy work day just to help a saddened puppeteer. But he didn't say a single thing against this.

Kiba kept his distance as the snake-like man sat up from his bed, eyes slightly wide and confused as they focused on Kankuro. It was never right to look in on two soulmates while they were having an intimate moment.

But he couldn't refrain from looking when Kankuro walked into the cell without any hesitation. And he wasn't able to keep the shock from showing on his face when the man raised his arms almost instinctually and wrapped them around the puppeteer. Kankuro clutched at him tightly, just about burrowing himself into the taller body.

"What has hurt you so, my dead puppet?" Kiba heard Orochimaru whisper, "What kind of monster has shattered your heart to such a degree? Who has caused us such agony?"

Kankuro didn't answer and just continued to cry into Orochimaru's chest.

But Kiba knew right then and there that, just like with his own, Kankuro's relationship with his soulmate was as deep as it could have been.

This was a rather bittersweet moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all are enjoying the longer chapters! Please don't forget to comment!


	16. When the Decision was Made

Orochimaru could actually make pretty interesting conversation.

"Of course, a younger Tsume was much more volatile than what she is now... But I will never forget the way a genin was able to make a hardened veteran cry."

Kiba couldn't help but smile at the way Orochimaru himself was smiling.

From everything he had ever heard about him, Kiba thought the man was unable to feel human emotions. Much less show them. But right now he sat with Kankuro beside him, a protective arm slung over the puppeteer, and he looked _so different_ from the first time Kiba had seen him trying to kill the Hokage. He'd gained some weight and looked much healthier than before, his face didn't look sunken in anymore.

There was actually a light in those dark, slitted eyes. And his amber irises looked rather bright.

"His mom is still pretty scary." Kankuro offered, then looked at Kiba quizzically. "Isn't it late? Shouldn't you be heading home?"

It _was_ pretty late. He'd been with Kankuro and Orochimaru for so long that Ibiki and Akamaru had actually left them. The cell had been left open and it seemed as if the Head of T &I apparently trusted Kankuro and Kiba to keep the traitor in the cell. And Kiba knew that even with how much he actually loved his soulmate, Kankuro wasn't about to let him walk free.

As his soulmate, Kankuro would never be able to hate him. But the love he felt for the man didn't stop him from knowing right from wrong and knowing that his soulmate was a criminal. Besides, his loyalty to his duty kept him from doing anything that might actually tarnish his reputation.

"Eh, ma thinks I'm with Tobirama, so there's no reason to head on home." Kiba waved offhandedly as he answered, then shrugged as he leaned back onto the wall behind him. "But if you want me to leave-"

"Nonsense." Orochimaru interrupted softly, "It is rather interesting to meet Tsume's son. In my short time as her Jounin instructor, I never would have thought I'd see her married or pregnant."

Kiba found it hard to wrap his head around the idea of his mother once having been a genin like him. But it was even harder to think that when she had been a genin, she had been the student of one of Konoha's greatest traitors. She never spoke much about her youth, after all... Maybe that was the reason why she didn't talk much about it.

All Inuzuka were deathly loyal. Especially to their Jounin teachers. Those that helped shape them into strong and proper shinobi were seen as invaluable and extremely important. Just like their genin teammates. Maybe the reason she didn't talk about the past was because it hurt her a lot to even _think_ about the life she once had...

"Tell me, boy, are you teammates with the children of her teammates?" Orochimaru asked curiously, which made Kiba cock his head to the side and scrunch up his face in unsurity.

He... Did not know who his mother's teammates had been...

"Uh... Who were they?"

It was so weird to see Orochimaru so calm and happy looking... The last time the boy had seen him, he had looked like a dead man walking. And the first time he had seen him had been when he'd tried to kill the Hokage and had brought his soulmate back to life. So he'd looked like a deranged monster that lacked any and all human emotions. Now, though, he was smiling and actually had life in his eyes.

"Shibi Aburame and Hiashi Hyuga."

"What?!" Kiba jumped up as his eyes widened, "No way! Are you serious?!"

Orochimaru took a moment to look over at Kankuro with an analytical look in his eyes, then murmured, "I see why you two are friends."

Kiba was sure that this wasn't supposed to be some kind of compliment. But for the Inuzuka, it _was_. Kankuro was a great guy. They got along extremely well and barely had to speak to be able to communicate with one another.

"Tell me stories about the olden days, old man!" Kiba felt no remorse as he jumped onto the bed to join both males and smiled broadly as Kankuro only rolled his eyes at his antics.

It had taken a few hours of distraction, but the puppeteer was back to his lovable sardonic self. And Kiba would _murder_ the person that had dared tell his family about his soulmate.

~/~

When Tobirama was finally able to go ahead and look for both Kankuro and Kiba, hours had passed since they had gone to the Hokage's office. Rasa and Tsunade had finally decided to back off after one more hour spent convincing them and were currently trying to work through their individual awkwardness to have a proper conversation.

Seeing both adults fumbling for words to say to each other was quite the sight. Especially when one took into consideration how long both had lived in this world. Surely, Tsunade and Rasa both had grown out of their shy, childish phase years ago. But now they just looked like children in a schoolyard trying to speak to the person they had a crush on.

If not for the fact that they had both been so adamant about killing Orochimaru, Tobirama would have felt fond at the show of awkwardness. But it had taken much too long to break through to them and make them understand the severity of tearing soulmates apart.

As the man walked towards where he could sense both males, Tobirama felt himself being followed. But seeing how the chakra signature was one that belonged to the only boy in the room that had seemed sensible even before he and Kiba had appeared, the man allowed him to continue on his trail for several minutes. He wondered if the boy would make himself known before they got anywhere near T&I.

He could feel Kiba's bubbly chakra warm up with every second that passed by. And from the fond glow that had nestled into his chest, Tobirama guessed that it must have been because he was having fun with Kankuro and Orochimaru.

All three males were together, even though Ibiki and Akamaru were not with them. Undoubted, they had both gotten tired after a while of staying with them. Tobirama could sense Akamaru back in the Inuzuka Compound. And if he widened his radius and felt through the chakra signatures in the village, he was sure he'd be able to find Ibiki's in the shinobi quarters of the village.

When he was much too close to the true building of T&I to allow shinobi from another village to get near, Tobirama stopped walking and turned around to face his little shadow.

The young man seemed unabashed as he stared up at him with a blank gaze. His emerald eyes shined with light, but his face was otherwise expressionless.

"Is there anything in particular you might be looking for?"

"You are the Second Hokage."

The boy's tone was almost monotonous. But Tobirama could hear a curious inflection that let him know this boy was not some emotionless automaton.

Both males remained quiet for a few seconds after the red head had spoken up. Tobirama wished for an answer to his question and was not about to fall into any verbal games. And it seemed that the teen understood that quickly enough, for he cleared his throat and spoke up.

"I am worried about my brother and wish to see him."

~/~

After Kiba had heard about five different stories of his mother and her team's misadventures as genin, he began to smell Tobirama's scent. At first it was faint and barely noticeable. But as time went on it became stronger and more tangible.

By the time his nose had filled up with his soulmate's scent, the Inuzuka could feel him in the hallway that led into Orochimaru's cell. And with him came Gaara.

"Wow... Are all Inuzuka insane?" Kankuro questioned Orochimaru, who merely nodded sagely.

"It is a gift and a curse the Clan wears proudly."

Kiba had no idea just what kind of treatments the Sannin had gone under during his time in Konoha. But whatever had been done to him had been more than just successful. He was so _normal_ to have a conversation with... Maybe Kiba would have to accompany Kankuro a bit more often during his visits.

"Did Ibiki truly leave you three here without closing the cell?" Was the first thing Tobirama said as he stepped up to the doorway, scowl clear on his face.

Kiba didn't really blame him, seeing how, even though he'd gotten better, Orochimaru was still one of the greatest traitors that the world had ever seen. But with his soulmate in the room, along with one of his soulmate's greatest friends, Kiba highly doubted Orochimaru would try anything.

"He trusts us." Kiba answered with a smile as he turned to him, then felt his heart lurch in the man's direction.

All that he wanted to do right now was jump into the man's arms and never leave. He didn't know why. But he just wanted to be held by the man once more. But he didn't dare, seeing how they weren't alone.

He'd hug Tobirama later when there weren't any prying eyes.

For a second, Tobirama looked into Kiba's eyes with uncertainty. But he sighed soon enough and shook his head, then turned his attention onto Kankuro.

"I have good news. Your father will not be asking for Orochimaru's execution anymore."

~/~

Kankuro was barely looking at him. Instead all of his attention was on the young red head that had accompanied Tobirama here. And, really, the man did not blame him for being so wary. Kankuro had just been forced to face something _no one_ should ever face: having to choose between his family or his soulmate. For him to worry about what his brother felt was just normal.

But Gaara wasn't about to judge the older boy. And Tobirama knew this because, just like Kankuro, Gaara found himself in quite the odd situation with his own soulmate. He didn't quite know what the situation was, the boy had not said. But it must have been odd for him to feel that he understood his brother.

"Is dad still pissed?"

The question was not directed to Tobirama. So the man allowed Gaara to answer and crossed his arms over his chest as he listened.

"Not at all. He is much too busy finding out what it feels like to have a soulmate to be angry with you." Gaara answered levelly, "It seems that the female Sannin, Tsunade I believe, is our father's other half."

Kankuro's whole face displayed the shock that he felt. His eyes went wide and his mouth slack. Then, with an almost crazed look in his eye, then teen questioned, "Are you sure, Gaara? Like, completely sure?"

"I was there to see it happen." The younger teen nodded levelly. "Maybe our father will finally know what it feels to love someone for more than just blood ties."

After saying this, his eyes drifted over to the criminal that sat beside Kankuro. Orochimaru was sat comfortably with the teenager beside him, but was not cuddling him like Tobirama was accustomed to see of soulmates.

Many soulmates, like Kiba and himself, chose to always be together. Usually because one of the two always wanted to hang off their other half. Kiba was the little monkey than enjoyed hanging off of Tobirama in many situations and the man barely ever wanted to push him off. But these two weren't holding one another like one would expect of soulmates. And while that was odd, Tobirama just chalked it up to the fact that Kankuro might still be guarding his heart.

"You are my brother's soulmate."

"Gaara..." Kankuro spoke up in a warning tone, but said nothing else.

But the younger male didn't need to be warned. "I have only heard terrifying tales of you. How you were the one to orchestrate the attack on Konoha; how you almost killed my father to make the invasion possible; how you have no qualms about destroying any who gets in your way... But my brother would not protect someone that did not deserve it."

Gaara frowned heavily as he said this, "Your actions were despicable and monstrous. But mine were just as heinous until a couple of years ago. I believe in second chances. And if my brother is willing to fight for you, then I am willing to help him fight."

Kankuro was stunned by what he heard, but Tobirama could not help but wonder why. Gaara, being the younger brother in this situation, reminded him a lot of himself. His devotion to his brother was akin to that of Tobirama's to Hashirama. And even though Tobirama had despised the Uchiha with a burning passion, he had truly tried his best to keep Madara and Hashirama together.

His efforts had been for nothing at that point... But Gaara's did not have to be.

"Do not waste the second chance that has been given to you."

~/~

Kiba was happy to hear Gaara on Kankuro's side. The older teen needed _someone_ from his family supporting him. And, really, it made complete sense that it was Gaara that backed him up.

Until two years ago, Gaara had been a bloodthirsty monster that killed for fun. Then he had met Naruto and learned that he didn't have to allow his upbringing to dictate his course in life. And Kiba was happy to say that the Gaara that stood in front of him now was _nothing_ like the Gaara he had first met during the Chunin Exams.

Orochimaru promised to not throw away his chance at a second life with his soulmate by his side. And after that, Kiba had looked over at Tobirama, noticed the tightness in his shoulders, and decided that it was about time to call it a night. The sun would be rising in a few hours and Kiba highly doubted that they'd be allowed another day in by the Hokage.

After spending a few minutes saying goodbye to his soulmate, Kankuro followed after Kiba and Tobirama, Gaara by his side. Then when they had reached one of the many roads that led to Tobirama's apartment, they had said goodbye to the two brothers.

Kankuro was still shaky and Kiba could still smell the fear oozing off of him. But there was hope in his eyes. And as long as there was hope, he knew everything would be okay for the older male.

When they reached Tobirama's apartment, the first thing Kiba did was push the man towards his bed.

"Inuzuka, what are you-"

"Just lie down, will you?" Kiba asked with a fond smile.

Tobirama looked down at him warily for a two whole seconds. Then he sighed, muttered about never understanding why he allowed himself to be pushed around by a child, and lay down on his bed.

Without missing a beat, Kiba clambered onto the bed and on top of the man's legs. This caused him to grunt in surprise and try to push up, but the Inuzuka grabbed onto his shoulders quickly and began to knead his thumbs into the space between his shoulder blades.

One weird fact about Tobirama: that spot between his shoulder blades was like a shut off switch.

The second Kiba's thumbs made contact with the skin there, the man let out a pleased groan and allowed his head to fall into his pillows. Which then allowed Kiba to massage his shoulders and back, helping him lose then unbelievable amount of tension he carried.

Kiba worked on the man's back for what felt like only a few minutes. But when he chanced a look up at the windows in the bedroom, he found the first lazy slivers of sun beginning to appear. And when he looked down at Tobirama, he found that the man had fallen asleep during his massage.

He'd been so into the massage that he hadn't noticed when the man's breathing had evened out and soft snored had begun to leave his mouth.

"Guess I got kind of carried away..." The Inuzuka murmured to himself, then yawned as he rolled off of the man.

Tobirama barely ever allowed him to give him a massage. He'd only down it about twice prior. And those had been times in which the man had overworked his body and had really needed to relax.

"Maybe I should get some sleep of... my..."

The teen didn't even finish his sentence as he scooted into Tobirama's side, wrapping an arm around the man's chest to hold him close. Before he had even finished speaking, his eyes had closed. And then his own soft snores began to harmonize with Tobirama's own.

~/~

When Tobirama woke up the next day, it was to find Kiba clutching onto him rather tightly.

He knew that he had fallen asleep as the boy had given him a massage, and the memory annoyed him. Not because he didn't like Kiba's hands on his body (he'd never admit to that out loud). He was bothered instead because it felt as if Kiba worked so much on keeping Tobirama happy that he didn't have time to focus on himself.

Maybe Kiba worked so hard on getting him to relax because the past two days had been rather draining on Tobirama. But that just wasn't fair.

The boy had made him breakfast the past morning and then lulled him to sleep with a wonderful massage.

It was incredibly hard to continue to think of Kiba as a child when just about everything he did when they were alone together proved to be well thought out and directed at keeping his soulmate happy.

The last big thing Tobirama had done for the boy had been take him out for that vacation. But while the vacation had been great, Tobirama knew that Kiba was a person that fed off of little things.

Little compliments here and there, small touches, a few smiles... These were all things that made Kiba smile as his heart swelled.

Exhaling heavily through his nose, Tobirama tightened his arms around Kiba and brought the teenager closer towards him. And Kiba adjusted his body slightly so that his head was nestled in the crook of the man's neck, all the while his right hand clutched at the fabric of his shirt.

With the great dilemma they had witnessed Kankuro going through because of his soulmate, Tobirama could not help but feel as if he had taken advantage of Kiba's kindness.

Sure, he had told the boy that he would not mind if their true ties were told to his friends. But Kiba was too perceptive for his own good and cared too much about Tobirama's feelings. He had not told anyone other than his family about who his soulmate was out of respect for Tobirama's privacy.

But the man knew that keeping his soulmate a secret bothered the teen. When all he saw was happy soulmates being able to speak comfortably without any kinds of worries while out in the open... Well, Tobirama could not blame him if he felt a tad bit jealous.

Even though Kiba was still young, Tobirama could not deny the fact that his own feelings for the boy had become much too attached to only be considered as platonic. The kid was wonderful in just about every way that mattered. And he always had wanted a soulmate to be able to love as he had seen Hashirama and Madara love before their Clans had torn them apart.

He refused to allow their relationship to take the final leap Kiba wished to take just yet. The friendship they had now was good, albeit a bit too amorous to truly be considered as _just_ friendship. In a couple of years, though, if Kiba still felt like he wanted Tobirama as he wanted him now... Then Tobirama would not object.

Nothing huge in their relationship would change at the moment. _But_ Tobirama refused to let Kiba suffer in silence any longer.

If the Inuzuka refused to tell his friends who was his true soulmate to keep him happy, then Tobirama would be the one to tell them.


	17. The Way in Which the Truth Came Out

The next few months were spent working as if nothing weird had happened. Kiba and him worked on their respective tasks as was usual for them. While Kiba trained and went on missions, Tobirama helped the village wherever he could.

The Kazekage stayed in Konoha for a full more week as he got to know his soulmate. But eventually he could not push back the date of his return to his home any further and he left. His children, though, stayed for a little while longer. In that time, Kankuro and Orochimaru's relationship strengthened and the puppeteer's siblings understanding of his relationship became much better.

After that, Kankuro returned to his home and proved to his father that he was as loyal to his home as ever, even with the soulmate he had been given. And the man was so proud of the work that his eldest children put in that he wound up promoting them to jounin.

As he worked with all the various jobs that kept him occupied, Tobirama wondered just how he would be able to spring the truth to Kiba's friends. Even with his resolve, it took him quite some time to find the perfect moment. Because the village was still recovering from Orochimaru's attack, they weren't able to get together as much as when they had been genin. Get together's like the kind that they used to have were few and far between, usually left for special occasions.

Luckily for him, a special occasion decided to appear when the Hokage decided to give the entirety of the village a day off to celebrate and rest.

Everyone in the village had been working hard for the past few years with only a few days of rest in between. From the school children all the way to the most seasoned of civilians, everyone had been doing their best to keep the village running smoothly. So the man decided that it was about time to give everyone a festival that would be celebrated all throughout Konoha.

With this festival would come a special announcement from the man. Whatever it might have been was anyone's guess, but Tobirama had a rather solid hunch as to what it might have been.

Hiruzen was not getting any younger. He could not keep up with the demands of being Hokage anymore, even with how much he tried. And there were quite a few capable shinobi around that would be able to take on the mantle of Hokage, like the Nara Clan Head or the last Hatake. These two were the first that came to his mind when he thought of possible Hokage. But he knew there were many more that might be able to acquire the mantle.

"The Rookies want to throw a small party." Kiba confided in him as they rested beneath a large tree in Training Ground 8 after rigorous water jutsu training. "A way to spend the festival and a kind of good luck party before we go off to the Chunin Exams."

The day that Team 8 had been training for was finally going to arrive in a month. The Chunin Exams were set to take place in Konoha once more, even though there were whispers of the Hidden Sand being involved.

"It's just going to be us. No higher ups around to ruin anything or tells us to tone down."

Tobirama quirked an eyebrow at this, which in turn made Kiba smile up at him. "It'd be funny if you suddenly decided to show up and make us begin to act properly. I'd love to see Naruto's surprised face."

Kiba was a mischievous teenager. He enjoyed pulling pranks and making others mess up in the least harmful way possible. And Tobirama enjoyed helping him out whenever he deemed it reasonable.

This seemed like a rather reasonable request. And like the perfect moment to tell the genin the truth.

"I shall think about it." The man replied with a deadpan and lack of emotion on his face, even though he was smirking on the inside.

It was always fun to throw these kids off balance. And it would be a perfect chance to tell them the truth.

~/~

The air around Konoha was, for the first time in a _very long time_ , lacking any sort of tension. For the first time in forever, everyone was having fun and enjoying their lives without having to worry about completing their work as perfectly as possible.

Even the Hyuga, who always had sticks up their asses, had taken today to have fun and take a break from their constant surly attitude. Neji and Hinata were afforded a complete day off, something they had never experienced. Not even as children.

The day had begun with the entirety of the Inuzuka Clan getting together in their giant meeting hall and sharing a large breakfast. The whole clan, all the way from the youngest of pups to the oldest of elders, had sat together, side by side, dog by dog, rejoicing in happiness. Songs were sung of the olden days when they were as feral as the dogs they had tamed and of the warrior's way they still honored, all the while food was passed from hand to hand.

This was the happiest Kiba had seen his mother after his father had left. And it brought him great joy to see that his sister could let go of her usually quiet nature and share joyous conversation with their older clan members.

The Inuzuka clan was not the largest Clan in Konoha. But they were a giant family that never allowed anything to happen to one another. They were loyal to each other. Just as they were loyal to Konoha. Just as there were many fanged faces, there were ones that had no clan markings; soulmates to Inuzuka. And just like their partners, they were treated as if they had been born into their clan.

In the back of his mind, Kiba wished for Tobirama to have been at his side to hear the outrageous stories that fell from the elders' lips as they filled their plates to the brim with delicious meats. But he knew that it was just not in the man's nature to allow something so private in his life to be shared so publicly. So he pushed these thoughts away and forced himself to be distracted with the dozens of stories flying around.

After this breakfast, he, Hana, her dogs, and Akamaru made their way towards the Uchiha District, where the Rookie 12 would be having their tight knit celebration.

Because the Uchiha Clan had been reduced to almost half their population, they did not take as much space anymore. And most of the space that was not used had been left to rent out to whoever had the money to use. Because Sasuke was the Clan Head's brother, he was allowed to use one of these spaces as long as he didn't abuse of his power.

It was a large and lavish house that had once belonged to one of the Uchiha Clan elders. From what Kiba had heard, he had been old blood royalty and one of Fugaku's greatest advisors. But he'd been sterile and hadn't had any children. And when the Revolution had broken out, he'd been part of the clansmen that had to be locked up because of his insistence on the Uchiha superiority.

This was the kind of house _created_ for having parties. It had tall ceilings, luxuries amenities, and large, open spaces that allowed for more than three dozen people to be in the same courtyard at the same time. It had two floors, but they would be using the outer garden, where everything had been set up for their party.

When he arrived, it was to find Sasuke, Itachi, and Ino already in the large garden, sitting in one of the many stone tables as they waited for the guests to arrive. Upon seeing his soulmate, Itachi immediately stood up and walked towards her, then directed her to the small maze of hedges by the limits of the property so they wouldn't bother the younger shinobi.

"Ah, love." Ino smiled almost stupidly as she watched them go, then turned to Kiba, "How're you, Inuzuka?"

"Awesome." He answered with a smile, then sat down on the bench opposite the soulmates.

Sasuke and Ino were still adamant about the platonic friendship, even after Hana and Itachi had begun to make the moves to get together. And really, Kiba couldn't blame them. He didn't understand why they wouldn't want to be together if they were perfect for each other, for all he wanted was for Tobirama to see him as a romantic equal. But he could respect their decision.

"I'm surprised you got here early, Kiba. Usually you're one of the last ones to arrive." Sasuke smirked at him, which made the Inuzuka roll his eyes.

"Hana wanted to get here early to mooch on Itachi."

"That explains it."

~/~

His day began by visiting Hiruzen at the Hokage Compound and sharing a tense breakfast with him, his son, Kurenai, Tsunade, Shizune, Jiraiya, Ibiki, and a shackled Orochimaru.

For his good behavior and willing cooperation to keep Konoha safe even in these tough times, Sarutobi had decided to pardon the man for a day. That pardon didn't come lightly and Tobirama knew there had been many warnings given to his old student before he'd even been allowed to know where he would be going. But Ibiki himself had said it would be good for the recovering man to spend time with others rather than confined and alone.

At first, there had been little to no conversation. The breakfast had been cooked up by a catering service that served them, so there were no accolades that needed to given for the food out of propriety. And even though there were quite a few around to eat, not many really knew what to say.

Tobirama still did not know how he should deal with his traitorous grand niece.

Tsunade and Jiraiya did not know if they should even _look_ at their traitorous teammate.

Hiruzen and his son weren't really the most talkative of people.

And Ibiki, Kurenai, and Shizune were all just caught in the middle.

But Orochimaru decided to comment on something that allowed for the conversations begin to roll. Although it had been a rather odd thing to say aloud with so many people around him that still thought of him as scum.

"Lord Second, you have not aged at all."

The food Tobirama had been lifting up to his mouth found itself stopping halfway as the man turned his red eyes onto the snake-like man. Then he nodded stiffly, for there was no use in denying something even he had noticed. "I believe it has something to do with the jutsu you used."

Orochimaru nodded softly with pursed lips, "I admit, I was not expecting for the jutsu to last so long. My plans were not for permanency, you see. It was a temporary fix to the perceived problem."

'Perceived problem' meant Hiruzen's life. And Tobirama felt himself grow angered at the reminder of exactly why he and his brother had been dragged out of their eternal slumber. But he then reminded himself about how far Orochimaru had come since meeting his soulmate and how repentant he was for the damage he had caused. Saying perceived problem rather than just problem meant that he knew he had been wrong in seeing Hiruzen's life as an obstacle to obliterate.

The once fractured mind had begun to slowly heal and one could see how far it had come. Although Tobirama knew there was still much that needed to be fixed.

"I understand. When I created this, I did not investigate enough to see long term effects." The white haired man commented as he lowered his chopsticks back to the plate and looked at the other man, "My wish to control life and death was not strong enough to make me cross an ethical line I knew existed. This jutsu was certainly not one of my finest hours."

"But it is a fine jutsu, you must agree." The long haired man replied, although there was no shred of fanaticism to find in his voice. There was admiration, yes, but it wasn't crazed. "If only there was a way to keep from sacrificing one life for another, no person would ever have to suffer losing a soulmate. No parents would have to bury a child. No child would have to bury a comrade."

What he said was true and rather kind coming from a man as insane as he. "But then we would begin to challenge laws of nature itself and jump into a precipice of perceived godhood that I'm not sure humanity would be able to handle." Tobirama hummed slightly, no annoyance to be found. He was rather enjoying this conversation, even though he knew that Tsunade was not comfortable. "As a whole, humanity is much too corrupt to ever be allowed to think themselves greater than our greatest fear."

There was a moment of silence after this, then Ibiki stated, "Which would be death."

"Exactly, my dear." Orochimaru smiled at him, "If the knowledge of this jutsu fell into the wrong hands... Well, we've already seen what I was able to do. But if only-"

A sudden slam against the table made their easy conversation end. And all three men looked over at Tsunade, who glared viciously back at them.

"What the hell? You sit there have a conversation with the guy that brought you back to life? As if _he_ wasn't the reason that this village is in such a weak state?" The blonde growled directly at Tobirama, a defiant fire in her eyes.

For a moment, the man looked at his grandniece without any emotions on his face. Then he shrugged slowly, "The Orochimaru I met on that battlefield is nothing like the one that sits before me now. I'm sure you can see that."

Her glare merely intensified.

"He is right, you know." The man himself spoke up, "In the past, I would have only spoken of the benefits I would reap from such a jutsu. Of all the power I'd be able to control, all the vengeance I'd take. But I'm not interested in that anymore. I do not wish to continue my experiments. I just wish to prove how truly sorry I am for everything I did."

Tobirama knew that neither Jiraiya or Tsunade believed this. They were both still rather hateful towards their old teammate. But they were intelligent enough to avoid speaking their minds.

Instead, Jiraiya decided to ask the man, "So... Your soulmate, that kid from the Sand, he's the one that's helped you out the most, right?"

"Of course. I do not think I would have listened to Ibiki if not for his insistence. Although it would be unfair to Ibiki himself to say that he hasn't been the one that has helped me the most."

Which in turn made Ibiki shake his head, "We can all thank Shizune and Inoichi's plans for your recovery for that. I was merely the person to listen to them."

At being mentioned, the dark haired woman waved Ibiki off and muttered about just doing her job.

After this, the conversation began to flow in a much easier manner than before. Hiruzen managed to turn the conversation away from serious matters over to less consequential ones, like the impending Chunin Exams and current festivities. Which soon enough made the breakfast a thousand times more bearable.

~/~

By the time the sun began to set, the Rookie 12 were all together and sharing a wonderful time together.

Chouji and his mother had cooked up a magnificent feast, Sakura had baked a delicious cake, and everyone managed to bring enough snacks and refreshments to keep them happy and sated even after the heavier food had run out.

Kiba enjoyed himself for the most part. Until Ino (like had honestly expected, but foolishly hoped to avoid) began to speak about soulmates once more.

"And I heard that Gaara's a weirdo, just like his brother."

"What do you mean, Ino?" Sakura questioned her and Kiba couldn't help but roll his eyes.

He was currently seated away from the gossiping girls, with Akamaru by his side, Shino and Hinata in front of him, and Naruto splayed out on the floor beside them. The two gossiping girls and Sasuke were sitting a few feet away from them by the small fountain in the middle of the large garden space.

Ino stopped for a moment to look around, before she dramatically whispered, "I heard Gaara's got two soulmates. But, really, I'm not all that surprised considering how screwed up that family is when it comes to their soulmates. I heard that the Kazekage and Kankuro are pretty attached to a Sannin each."

After years of knowing the Yamanaka, Kiba knew that her spreading of information was not malicious. Nor did she ever say things that were lies or only _somewhat_ plausible. What she told was exclusively the truth... Even though it wasn't a truth that needed to be passed around.

How she had heard about the Kazekage and Kankuro's soulmates, he did not know. As far as he was certain, only very people knew the truth about them. And _he_ wasn't loose lipped at all.

It annoyed him to hear her talking about Kankuro. But Sasuke quickly interrupted her before she could say anything further, reminding Ino that tonight wasn't meant to be used for gossiping, then forced her to change the topic. For this Kiba was thankful and able to relax.

When Tobirama finally decided to make his appearance, Kiba found himself becoming happy. The man's scent was intoxicating and always made him feel better, no matter what happened. Especially now that, when he was able to see him, Kiba saw that he wasn't in his usual armor. Instead he chose to wear simple, civilian looking clothes that made him seem much less stressed than he usually was.

Itachi, who had stayed with Hana by the maze during the whole party, immediately went to greet him with a respectful bow. "Lord Tobirama, this is a surprise."

Tobirama quirked an eyebrow at the younger male, but Kiba knew he was merely playing around when he said, "I do hope you do not mind my sudden appearance."

"Not at all, sir." Hana smiled from beside her soulmate, then motioned towards the genin there. "Please, enjoy your time here."

With a nod, Tobirama then excused himself and made his way towards Team 8.

Naruto quickly scrambled up with nothing but admiration in his eyes, even though neither Hinata or Shino seemed surprise to see him here. After years of him being their second sensei, they were used to him coming around.

The man's red eyes looking over all of them before he cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of all of the genin there. Then he called out, "If you would please, gather round. I have an announcement to make."

Without any kind of stalling, the rest of the teens stood up from their seats and moved towards the table Team 8 had taken as their own. Then, once they had all settled, the man nodded at them.

"Thank you." He took a few seconds to look them all in their faces, then his eyes landed on Sasuke specifically. "For years now, there has been something that has always bothered me about your approach to soulmates. I did not have one in my time, so I always saw this natural bond between two people as something precious and private. Not something to gossip about in the midst of a lunch."

Kiba's heart began to pound loudly the more he heard Tobirama speak. How could it not? This man was scolding his friends for all of the guff they'd given him over the years! And while it was appreciated, he really didn't have to stand up for him. Kiba could take care of himself.

~/~

As he spoke, Tobirama noticed how the Yamanaka and Uchiha's faces morphed into ones of understanding. Although the rest seemed a bit confused as to where he might be going.

He could feel Kiba's apprehension in his own body, but, really, there was nothing the Inuzuka had to fear. Tobirama had a plan.

For years, he had wanted a soulmate. And he had always told himself that he would treat them right, cherish them as they deserved. After seeing the struggles many other pairs faced, Tobirama knew that he had not been given one of the worst soulmates he could have possibly had. Their age difference was great, yes. But virtually nothing separated them.

He loved Kiba Inuzuka.

"Soulmates in my time were luxuries. Many people died without ever finding their other half, seeing how war took too many away from the land of the living much too soon. "Because so many died, soulmates weren't something that was discussed. If one's soulmate was found, they were congratulated and envied. But they weren't pressured into speaking of them."

From the way Kiba was beginning to fidget, Tobirama knew he was about to jump up and interrupt him. So he decided to say just why exactly it was that he was saying all this.

"Kiba was born without a soulmate, much like myself. But he has one now, even though he's never told any of you who it is."

The boy's eyes went wide as Tobirama smiled at him. "And that is who I am."

Seconds of shocked silence passed before any of them could speak. Kiba stared at him with wide eyes as he began to internally freak out, even though he managed to keep himself rather composed from the way he didn't explode. And Tobirama just smiled softly back at him because he had finally managed to do what he had wanted for the past few months.

"Wait... Does that mean Kiba's soulmate is... Just _who_ , exactly?"

It was no surprise to Tobirama that Naruto had a bit of difficulty following him. Luckily enough, though, a not too stunned Shino answered him immediately. "Lord Tobirama, Naruto."

"No way!"

The blonde jumped up and grabbed Kiba by the shoulders, shaking him roughly, "Show me! I want to see for certain!"

"N-Naruto-kun!"

"Get away from him, Fox Breath!" Sasuke jumped into Kiba's defense, but it was Tobirama that was able to pry the blonde off with a sturdy and thick tendril of water from the fountain near them.

"There is a reason I spoke of the privacy and respect given to soulmates, Uzumaki." The man shook his head as Naruto insisted on trying to grab at Kiba's clothes, but was pulled away without any difficulty.

~/~

"Why would you need any proof, Naruto? If the Second Hokage is saying it, then it must be the truth." Shikamaru breathed out after a few seconds of analyzing the situation, closing his eyes in annoyance. "Besides, it's not like this changes anything. Kiba's not going to acquire sudden power from just having Lord Senju as his soulmate."

Kiba wanted to agree with the Nara. And he wanted to smack Naruto for getting so handsy. And ask Shino and Hinata just why they hadn't seemed shocked at all by the revelation. But, currently, he was too busy staring at his soulmate in a complete loss for words.

There must have been a reason for the man saying this so suddenly. He hadn't just said it to get it out there. He wasn't the kind to speak of soulmates, just like he'd explained earlier. So why was he telling his nosy friends?

"What are you talking about, Shika? This changes _everything_!" Naruto growled, even as Tobirama rolled his eyes. "If Tobirama's his soulmate, then it means Kiba _has_ to be strong! There's no way someone as awesome as the _Second Hokage_ would end up with a loser soulmate! It just doesn't happen!"

Kiba was sure there was insult to be felt from Naruto's scream. But he felt none.

"Are you calling Kiba a loser?"

The Inuzuka ignored Shino's question as he stood up, then walked up to Tobirama with pursed lips. The man looked down at him with a quirked eyebrow, silently asking him what was wrong.

"Calm down, Naruto. There's no real science to soulmates." Sasuke's voice sounded off, but Kiba wasn't thinking about him.

He grabbed Tobirama's hand and pulled him away from his friends, ignoring any further discussions. Then, once they were far enough to be heard, he turned to the man.

"Why'd you tell them?"

He wasn't angry. Nor did he feel insulted. But he was worried for he knew Tobirama wasn't the kind to speak about private things in public.

"Because you deserve to have a soulmate that is not afraid to be seen with you in public." The man answered honestly, offering a genuinely pleased smile. "Because all you have done until now has been to keep me happy; it was my turn to do something that would make _you_ happy."

His voice was soft as he spoke, but Kiba could hear the affection clear in it. And this suddenly made something click within his mind.

"Tobirama..." He dragged out, a large smile splitting across his face. "You _like_ me!"

A small part of Kiba expected the man to argue against this. But much to his surprise, Kiba found himself wrapped up in a tight hug as a soft kiss was pressed to the top of his head.

"I will not try and deny that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am thinking one more chapter and this story will be finished! But do not fret, my kiddies! I will not hook you on a pairing and only leave you with one story. I'm already planning another Tobirama/Kiba story to give you your fill of rare pairings. And, if enough people are interested, there may be a sequel in the future in which the future is further explored. But I will be beginning classes yet again (after months of being on strike because of governmental injustices), so my updating will become sporadic once more.
> 
> Please don't forget to review!


	18. And they Loved

When the Chunin Exams rolled around, quite a few surprises were to be had.

First of all, Gaara wound up taking Shikamaru's place in Team 10 because he was still a genin and was not able to find himself a team in his village that was willing to work with him. Which was pretty cool considering how Ino and Chouji didn't have to work at all with a powerhouse like him onboard.

Second of all, Shikamaru himself had been appointed as the proctor for the first phase by their still green Hokage- Tsunade. Something that the Nara had whined about the whole damn time since he'd found out about his job.

And the third, and greatest if one were to ask him, surprise was how Shino managed to find his soulmate.

The girl was one they had never seen before with dark skin and green hair and eyes. Her team happened to be passing by the entrance to the exams when Shino had turned to look at them out of a purely objective manner. But he'd quickly frozen up, tensing up as the girl's eyes fell on him.

After that, Shino and the girl from Takigakure were barely seen separated. Even in the midst of the Exams, they had managed to stick together and get to know one another.

Kiba would have thought it was completely adorable if not for the fact that their insistence on being with each other had made passing the Chunin Exams harder than they had to have been. But, really, Shino had been waiting his whole life to finally meet his soulmate. And he looked like a lost pup chasing after its master whenever he followed after the green haired kunoichi. So, in reality, Kiba couldn't be too bothered by his friend running around like a pup. It was pretty freaking adorable.

Although he _did_ grouch about it a lot to Tobirama.

"As a chunin of the Hidden Leaf-"

"Doesn't matter no more!" Kiba waved the man's undoubtedly serious words off easily enough, then thrust his hands into his pockets. "Where are you taking me, Tobirama?"

Kiba, just like the rest of the Rookies, had just been promoted to Chunin. And he knew that his family would want to celebrate for finally having gotten the promotion he had been looking to get for quite a few years now.

"You _do_ understand what a surprise means, right?"

"Yeah, I need to get surprised."

The man turned to look back at him for a few seconds. Seconds which Kiba spent blinking back at him with amusement etched clear onto his face.

"Why you are my soulmate, I do not think I will ever truly understand." But even though his words might have been tough and rough at one point, right now they were just amused and sounded as lighthearted as Kiba himself. "Now would you please hush up? I wish for your surprise to be a good one."

After a few more minutes of following behind Tobirama, the tired teenager groaned loudly and lamented having allowed the man to drag him away from his comfortable bed. Sure, it was Tobirama's bed inside of his apartment, but, as his soulmate, Kiba had a right to sleep in it whenever he wished! Especially when he was as tired as he was right now!

"Tobirama..." He whined softly, his ankles aching and begging to get some kind of rest.

"Hmm?"

A sudden thought struck Kiba and refused to leave him. So the teenager shrugged softly towards himself then sped up his steps. And right when he was a few feet closer to his soulmate, the teenager jumped.

As he came down, Kiba noticed Tobirama turning his head around to look at him. But then his arms were wrapping around his soulmate's shoulders and his legs around his waist, managing to make himself grab onto the white haired man.

"Carry me."

~/~

Tobirama had been working on this surprise for the better half of a week. And once he was sure that Kiba had managed to get his promotion, he had grabbed the boy and hauled him away to the secret spot he had managed to find once more after years of searching for it.

As children, both he and Hashirama had taken interest in different spots around these lands. Tobirama had used his favorite place to meditate and train, hoping to hone his senses through this. And after spending some time looking for it, Tobirama had found the waterfall hidden within one of the many mountains of this wonderful land.

Because he knew Kiba, Tobirama had not been surprised to find the teenager tired and reluctant about going anywhere. Which, really, was somewhat odd. It was as if they had decided to change roles for a night: Kiba had become reluctant to do anything while Tobirama was energetic and wished for nothing more than to share this wonderful spot with his soulmate.

He had not expected the sudden jump. Nor to have Kiba suddenly hanging onto him like a monkey. But after quite some time of allowing the teen to hang off of him as if he weren't fully human, Tobirama's body had become accustomed to sustaining his weight. So when Kiba jumped him, the man did not lose his balance. Instead his hands instinctively went to support the teen's body all the while his limbs encroached all around the man.

"You could have warned me," Tobirama grunted in a light scolding, only to find Kiba's face cuddling into the crook of his neck.

"But there's no fun in that, Tobirama!" The teen breathed in deeply and Tobirama could feel the smile pressed into the back of his neck. "Where are you taking me?"

It warmed his heart to have his soulmate near him. And it warmed his whole body to have the boy in his arms, safe and sound. So, with a small smile appearing on his lips, Tobirama answered, "It's a surprise."

The answer received a groan that had Tobirama chuckling softly at Kiba's dramatics. But the man just continued to trek through the dense forests, adamant about taking his soulmate to his favorite spot in the whole village.

Kiba was sixteen years old and had just been promoted to Chunin.

Tobirama could not make himself wait any longer.

Tonight would be the night.

~/~

Kiba wound up dozing off as he was carried by Tobirama. But by the time he had woken up, he found himself staring up at one of the most wonderful waterfalls he had ever seen in his life. There wasn't anything different about how it _looked_. But there was something about the atmosphere that suddenly made him feel alert and _peaceful_.

"When I was a child, all I truly wanted was a soulmate."

He was caught off guard when Tobirama began to speak, even as soft as the man spoke. And Kiba found himself tightening his grip on the man for a moment before he relaxed in his grip, more than sure that he would never let any harm fall onto him.

"All I ever grew up around was ninja fighting on to be able to meet their soulmates. Most of those that fought in the Clan Wars only did so out of the hope of being able to survive long enough to please their families. And then, maybe, they would be graced with the good fortune of finding their other half."

The man's words were strong yet fragile. And Kiba knew that, in this moment, Tobirama was allowing him to see a side of him that he'd never allow anyone else to see.

He was grateful for this.

"I was born without a soulmate. I never had a second half to fight for. So I filled my heart with hopes of a better future in which children would not have to bury their friends and parents would not have to have more than four children just to ensure that maybe one child would survive. I filled my heart with a future filled with peace and hope."

Slowly, Tobirama's hands unwound from beneath Kiba. They moved him towards the floor and Kiba allowed himself to go. And once he was on solid ground, he felt Tobirama move him so they were facing each other.

Tobirama's red eyes were filled with nothing but love.

And Kiba's breath caught in his throat when the man's hands clasped either side of his face.

"Kiba... I never had a soulmate to look forward to..." The man's calloused thumb caressed Kiba's tattooed cheeks, prickling the teen's skin in the best way possible. "But now I have you. And I never wish to let you go."

~/~

When Tobirama's lips met with Kiba's own, the man swore that sparks flew.

All of the narrations he had read as a child... All of the exaltations about how wonderful it felt when two soulmates kissed for the very first time... They were _nothing_ compared to the actual experience.

Kiba's lips were a mix of soft and rough, a perfect way to describe the teenager himself.

The kiss was short but passionate, filled with all of the emotions Tobirama had tried to deny himself at some point or another. Filled with all of the emotions Kiba had admitted to having for quite some time now.

When they pulled away, Tobirama found himself facing a flushed Inuzuka with his eyes blown wide open.

A second of silence passed between them. Only the water rushing from the waterfall saved them from falling into complete quiet.

Then Kiba surged forward, wrapped his arms tightly around Tobirama's neck, and pressed his lips into Tobirama's own in a bruising kiss that left the man himself breathless.

In response, Tobirama wrapped his arms around the teen's waist and pulled him in as close as they possibly could get without their bodies becoming one.

The rest of the night was spent enjoying the night together, Tobirama's hand held in Kiba's own as they meditated beneath the waterfall's crashing stream.

It was one of the best night's Tobirama ever lived.

~/~

When they returned to the village, Kiba couldn't help but beam like an idiot.

For the first time in forever, Kiba could say that his soulmate was _his_. In all ways. Not just in friendship, but in romance as well.

Tobirama was everything Kiba could have wished for in his other half. Everything he could have wanted. Everything and _so much more_.

They walked into the village, hand in hand. And when they were greeted by some of the shinobi that they passed by, Tobirama did not try and pull his hand away. Instead he pulled Kiba closer towards him, as if to show everyone in the village that they truly were soulmates.

They went into Tobirama's apartment and continued to read the wonderful chaptered story they had begun months ago. But midway through their reading, Kiba stopped reading, turned around on Tobirama's chest, and looked the man directly in his eyes.

"I didn't have a soulmate growing up." He told the man, moving his arms up so they were on either side of the man's head. "I didn't think I'd ever have one and I was fine with that. Then you arrived and I was like: Cool. The Second Hokage will be my best friend."

Then he smiled broadly over at the man, closing his eyes in happiness. "But I'm real happy that we can be more than just friends."

~/~

Tobirama dropped the book in his hands onto the bed and pressed a tender kiss to his forehead before he wrapped his arms around the teen's body once more and rolled them over so they were both laying on their sides.

"For as long as you will have me, Kiba, I will be by your side." He whispered into the teen's ear, receiving a pleased shiver.

Kiba was nothing like the soulmate he would have wished for as a child. But there was nothing about the Inuzuka he would change. _Not a single thing_.

~/~

_I love you_

The words would have been easy to say right then and there.

But there was no need for them, was there? Tobirama already knew that Kiba loved him. And he'd proven his own love dozens of times already.

So instead of saying anything, Kiba just burrowed himself into the man's chest and clasped his hands over Tobirama's own.

Really, there was no need for words.

~/~

Everything felt _right_ with Kiba.

There were dozens of different things the man wanted to tell the teen. His heart hammered in anticipation as he thought about how he could say them.

But then the teen's hands fell over his own, making all of his twisted thoughts untangle themselves from the constricting knots they had wound up in.

And it was then that Tobirama knew with complete certainty that Kiba truly was the only person for him.

This love was not something he ever would have expected... But he certainly wasn't about to throw it away. Kiba loved him, was willing to shout it to anyone that came near them. Kiba loved him enough to respect his privacy and keep quiet about their love. And Tobirama wasn't about to take advantage of this love without giving any in return.

_I love you too_

..~..~..

And this is it! The end of a tiny era! It took me a bit of time, but I finally finished with this story! And I'm glad that I did. I've got _the worst_ track record for completing stories, but I at least have another one under my belt!

I know it's cheesy, but the story in itself is cheesy, romantic, and fluffy. Sure, there were a few dark bits, but Tobirama and Kiba managed to keep everything light hearted. And I think that's what I love about these two in the story. They're just so adorable together!

There _will_ be a sequel. I'm not sure when I'll publish it, but it _will_ happen. And for those that would like some angstier Tobirama/Kiba, check out my new story, _Burning Ground_. It's a modern AU in which Tobirama is a forty six year old man who winds up slowly falling in love with a sixteen year old Kiba. So, kind of like this, but darker.

Please don't forget to review! And, seriously you guys, thank you for all the love for this story! I never would have been able to finish it without your support.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update! September 5, 2017: There is a sort of sequel that's not really a sequel because I refuse to enter that kind of commitment just yet! It's more like an accompanying story to this. It's called Just My Soul Responding and it can be found by clicking the 'Go to Part 2' button on the bottom of the chapter,
> 
> Or by using this link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11892882
> 
> Update! December 7, 2017: There is an official sequel to these two. It's called True Halves of a Whole and is Part 3 of this series. You can look for it like that, or by hitting the link below,
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/12940350


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